The Week That Changed Their Lives
by tivafan-01
Summary: Previously named "The week that changed Everything." The team goes on a team building trip for one week. Tears are shed, relationships emerge and lives are changed. It's my first fanfiction so please be nice and please review, TIVA and MCABBY! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay, well, this is only the first chapter. People were asking for a team-building fan fic on other stories, so I decided to write one on it. This is my VERY FIRST fan fic so please be nice and please review, I need to know if it is worth continuing or if I should just leave it. Please review, thanks!

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"That's crap Leon and you know it" Gibbs gave the director Leon Vance his famous "Gibbs glare".

Vance sighed, Gibbs was constantly undermining his authority and disobeying his directions, it had to stop. Much as he respected the former-director Jenny Sheppard, it was no secret that she and Gibbs had a relationship, now Gibbs was too used to a weak director and getting things his way.

Vance simply sent Gibbs a death glare of his own and replied, "Government orders, couldn't allow you to refuse them… even if I wanted to."

Gibbs however was not one to be easily deterred and he matched the directors stare with his own. "When" was his only suggestion that he was going to listen.

Vance refused to back down now, even though both he and Gibbs knew that his defences were weakening under the older man's steely gaze. "Two days, your team will be replaced by a temp team while you're all busy doing teambuilding activities at 'Jayton Lake.' I've already assured the camp leaders that you and your team WILL comply with their wishes and I expect you to follow through."

Gibbs simply nodded and turned around, shooting one more death glare over his shoulder towards the director before he left. He slammed the door the Vance's office shut, one final act of defiance after a humiliating argument both he and Vance knew Gibbs lost. How on earth did Leon expect him to spend 7 days in the middle of the wilderness with his team? What was he thinking sending GIBBS of all people to a teambuilding camp where their modo was "Working with each other to help you live together." It sounded like a freakin' marriage counsellor, and after three divorces EVERYONE knew how much Gibbs hated marriage counsellors.

He stomped down the stairs and slapped a sleeping DiNozzo's head, he needed _some_ way to release his anger and Tony was the perfect target.

Tony sat up with a start and immediately grabbed his gear, thinking Gibbs had a new case to work on. Gibbs simply barked a "SIT DOWN DINOZZO" and Tony complied, knowing that it's never smart to defy Gibbs when he's in a bad mood, or ever for that matter.

"What is the matter Gibbs?" Ziva questioned, Gibbs rolled his eyes, Ziva always was a straight shooter, and she knew when someone was lying or stalling so he may as well get it out.

"According to the government, we all need to go on a 7 day teambuilding trip to Jayton Lake. We have three cabins, one for me, one for Tony and McGee and one for Abby and Ziva. We leave in two days; I expect to see you all there at 8 o'clock, don't be late."

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he let the information sink in for his team, he waited for the elevator and when the doors opened he yelled over his shoulder, "McGee, fill Abby in, let her know all the details and you all have tomorrow off to pack."

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_**Hey I justed wanted to go back to this chapter and thank you all for your reviews! I wasn't sure if I should've continued, but the reviews convinced me that you were happy so far, so if you want more story, please give more reviews! **_**3**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update but my I had a family- Christmas get-together and was busy all weekend so i didn't have the time to update. I will try to be a more faithful writer :) So anyways, first chapter was a little slow, but this is where the story really begins and the TIVA and MCABBY start :) **please** **review** I _love _hearing back from you.3

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Tony slammed the car door shut. Jayton Lake was only allowing them two parking spaces, and since Gibbs took all the luggage, he was stuck in the car with Ziva, McGee and Abby. Now Tony had more than enough of Abby and McGee's stupid bickering, and Ziva was still glaring at him for not letting her drive over 3 hours ago! She'd already threatened to kill him out in the wilderness where she could easily dispose of his body, but he figured at least he'd make it to the camp if he drove. Now Tony wasn't so sure that he'd made the right choice, she seemed really pissed and he knew how much she hated when he told her she _couldn't_ do something.

Tony was just happy when they finally arrived at Jayton Lake. Gibbs pulled in after them and they all went inside the main cabin. A young man immediately came up to them and introduced himself as their host. He greeted them all and asked each one for their individual name. "Josh" as they were supposed to call him barely acknowledged Abby and the men but his gaze rested on Ziva. Tony's blood was boiling when Josh gave her a special smile and asked her name and Tony simply glared at Ziva when she smiled sweetly back at the host.

_How dare he look at her that way! He barely even acknowledged us he was so busy staring at her, and there she is flirting with him so openly like that, doesn't she realize it's rude to flirt with him right here in front of us. They're acting as if I'm not even here…._

Tony clenched his fists and teeth together, he couldn't take much more of this so he interrupted the two, "So, _Josh,_ are you gonna take us to our rooms or what?" He knew that he had said that more than a little rudely, but he really didn't care, who'd this Josh guy think he was to flirt with _his_ Ziva right in front of him!

Josh looked a little surprised in the sudden change in Tony's tone, and Ziva was shooting daggers at Tony with her eyes. Josh quickly recovered though and, while smiling at Ziva, began "Sure, if you wanna get your bags and meet me back here I can show you right to them!" Ziva gave one more dazzling smile to their host before she turned on her heel and walked outside, not even looking at Tony.

When Tony reached the car a few minutes after her and grabbed for his trunk, she finally began talking to him. "So _Tony_, WHY were you so rude to Josh. After all he did nothing wrong and I was nicely talking to him when you so rudely interrupted us!"

Tony muttered something about them doing more than talking and they should hurry up they didn't want Gibbs to get mad at them for making him wait. He began to walk, leaving Ziva behind, staring at him with anger, hurt and confusion all mixed together in her beautiful dark brown eyes.

~~~NCIS~~~

_What'd you think David? That he was suddenly going to announce feelings for you that he just doesn't have because he interrupted your flirting with a cute guy. He's just impatient, you know that. Face it, he DOESN'T have feelings for you._

These were the only thoughts in Ziva's head as she unloaded her luggage and hurried in behind Tony, if he didn't have feelings for her, then she would forget about her feelings for him and move on with her life. She'd already wasted three years of her life waiting for him to tell her what he really felt towards her, and for three years he said nothing.

It was time to move on and forget about Tony, she and Josh obviously had chemistry. Yet as soon as she got inside the cabin and could see Tony again, she knew that this was going to be hard. There would be no "simply getting over him" she'd have to work extra hard to leave her feelings behind.

As she walked up to Tony he turned and gave her one of his famous "DiNozzo grins" as if to say "sorry". As he did, her knees already felt weak, but then she strengthened her resolve and stood up straighter, he never had to know how she felt.

~~~NCIS~~~

Timothy McGee looked questioningly at Tony and Ziva. He wasn't sure what was going on between the two, or what Tony had said to her when they got everyone's bags, but Tony came in looking frustrated and Ziva walked in only a few moments later. Looking at her posture no one could ever tell that anything was different, but their Israeli assassin had lost some of her touch of keeping herself impossible to read and with one look in her eyes, McGee could tell that Ziva was suffering from a lot of pain.

McGee looked to Abby, wondering if she had noticed the same as he, when she nodded slightly he knew that she had also observed that there had been some sort of exchange between the two and he knew they'd end up talking about it later.

McGee looked up just in time to catch Josh giving Ziva a quick once-over when she wasn't looking and Tony's fists growing tightly into balls.

When Ziva looked at him again, Josh began "Here at Jayton Lake we believe that team building needs to be real and authentic so we only have one group here at a time. So you guys are, apart from staff, the only people here in this beautiful place. Jayton Lake wants to help you all grow as a team so that you can understand and trust each other better. Your office has spared no expense on this trip and I will soon show you your carefully designed cabins. There are 4 cabins. Two of them contain two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a main room. Then there is Agent Gibbs cabin which has a slightly larger bedroom and bathroom along with a main room to relax in. Then there is this cabin, where you will all meet at in the morning at 9:00, here are the keys to your rooms, and you have all have a telephone in your cabins, I am speed dial one, call me if you need anything."

After Josh left, the team headed outside. Gibbs ordered everyone to put their stuff in the cabins and relax, nothing was scheduled for tonight. Tony and Ziva had already gotten their luggage and headed off to their cabins, but McGee and Abby still had to grab their bags so they headed to the car.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Abby turned to McGee and practically shouted "SEE! I told you that they were in love, and that little trip to the car with them both coming in upset only proved my point. Tony's jealous and Ziva loves him back but they're both to coward to admit it to each other!"

McGee rolled his eyes, Abby was never going to let up on Ziva and Tony until they got together was she? "Abs, you don't know for a fact that they're in love, for all you know we're only imagining it and trying to force together a couple that just wasn't meant to be!"

Abby is very persistent though and replies "Oh come on McGee! You'd have to be blind to miss the tension between the two! Did you see Tony's face when Josh checked Ziva out, I thought his head would explode if it got any redder! Come on McGee, pleeeeeeeeeeease? You've got to help me get them together!"

McGee sighed, he wasn't sure if it was his wanting Ziva, and even Tony happy, or if it was the urge to please the woman at his side, but he finally agreed, knowing one thing for sure. _This was going to be a long week…._

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_**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it (review if you did) and I will try to update soon.**__  
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	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay, I made sure that this chapter was longer than the last ones, especially the first was was really short. So, third chapter of the series, i hope you like it! :)

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Abby set her luggage down on her bed and looked around her. This place was much nicer than she'd expected, apparently it was typically used by executives who were used to only the best of things, and NCIS had just happened to get a slot here too.

The main room was large and contained a beautiful fireplace with a rug stationed in front of it so one could nicely warm themselves by the fire. There was also a big screen TV, a mini-fridge with all different kinds of delicious food, very comfortable leather furniture and more!

Abby sighed as she took a small bag of popcorn and puts it in the microwave in the kitchen-like corner of the room. She and McGee already had a plan to get Ziva and Tony together, only they needed the two of them to admit their feelings first.

Abby and McGee both agreed that they'd have a nice little talk with their roommates about their partners. Abby got everything ready for their "girl's night". She had a chick-flick, popcorn, drinks and most importantly, the hidden video camera that would tape their conversations. McGee would be watching their conversation in his room and recording it for Tony, and she'd later do the same for his and Tony's conversation, taping it for Ziva.

It was perfect; there was no flaw, _almost_. One problem was that Ziva was already suspicious of Abby and McGee after they talked for a very long time while getting their luggage and Tony wasn't exactly the type that would open up to people about his feelings, especially about something like this. Also, Abby didn't want to make her friends feel like she was betraying their trust. With Abby being Ziva's best girl-friend and with Ziva not opening up easily to just anyone, betraying her trust was just that much worse.

So maybe the plan wasn't flawless, but all obstacles could be overcome, and Ziva would forgive her eventually… hopefully.

Abby sighed, maybe this wasn't the greatest plan, but if they got confessions, they'd switch tapes and she's sure Tony and Ziva would be thankful. Even if their roommates got suspicious and they didn't confess their feelings, then no one ever had to know about this plan but her and McGee. OH NO MCGEE! Although her sweet little Tim would do anything for her and she knew it, Abby also knew Ziva was already suspicious and McGee's terrified of her!

Well, she'd just have do an even better job with Ziva, in order to make up for any slips McGee might make. One thing was for sure, Ziva and Tony definitely had feelings for each other.

Abby carefully planted the camera and skipped to get her popcorn, it was actually happening, she and McGee were finally bringing Tony and Ziva together!

She sat down on the couch and thought about what she'd say to get Ziva started. Before she had enough time though, Ziva walked through the door. _It's now or never…_

"Hey Ziva! Come on and sit down, Gibbs said that we don't have anything scheduled for tonight, so I figured we'd have a girls night." Abby smiled, showing nothing but sweetness and innocence but Ziva didn't look to be trusting her.

"What is wrong Abby, we always plan our girls nights together, they're not typically spur of the moment things, yet you seemed to have carefully planned this out, too well for such short notice. Unless you were very motivated to make this night perfect for some reason…. Care to share the reason?"

_Oh no! She's more suspicious then I thought, maybe my failed attempts at getting her and Tony together, plus today's events are too much. Still I didn't think she'd see through it that easily…_

Abby swallowed, she needed to think fast, the longer she took to answer, the more suspicious Ziva would become, so she just opened her mouth and a lame excuse came out.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, I was planning this as soon as I found out."

Ziva still didn't look to be buying it and Abby wasn't sure what to do.

_What do I say now? How do I get out of this one? Maybe I should just tell her the truth._

"Okay, I'm sorry. I lied."

Ziva only quirked an eyebrow and waited for Abby to continue.

"You see, it was kind of thrown together last minute, but with a lot of effort. I, um… you may not like this but I think we need to talk."

Ziva's defences started rising and she was about to make an excuse to leave,

_Okay Abs, definitely not the truth, that's not helping. Think faster, think faster, THINK FASTER!_

"We need to talk about…

_How are you going to get yourself out of this one?_

Me and McGee."

Ziva raised an eyebrow and made a one syllable question, "Oh?"

Abby stumbled, she wasn't expecting the conversation to take this turn on her, but now that she thought about it, it would be nice to get it off her chest, and it _would_ bring up the subject of co-worker relationships…

"Yeah, I think I have feelings for him."

Ziva walked over to the couch and flopped down, Abby finally had her full attention, which meant there was no turning back now.

"I was wondering."

That one statement made by Ziva sent Abby into shock, she didn't fully understand these feelings herself and she sure wasn't expecting _anyone else _to understand. She had to continue though, both for her sake, and for the sake of her mission.

"How did you know?"

Ziva simply shrugged and said, "As you always say, women know these things. I see the secret looks you send his way, same as I see the secret looks he sends your way, both when you think no one is watching."

Abby was completely shocked, she hadn't even realized she was doing that, but now that she thought about it, Ziva was right, she _was_ constantly stealing secret glances towards McGee. But was it true that he was also sending glances her way? Was it possible that he felt the same way that she did, or was her imagination simply running away with her again?

"You think he feels the same way about me as I do about him?" Abby questioned, her hopes were rising.

Ziva smiled and replied, "I do indeed believe that he has feelings for you and you for him, but I believe it is you that must discover how deep those feelings go."

Sometimes Ziva really could shock you. Who would've known that it would be Ziva, of all people, the trained assassin, educated to show no emotions was teaching super emotional Abby about feelings and love? This was almost too much, but Abby also understood what a truly amazing person Ziva was. No wonder Tony loved her, TONY! Ziva had gotten Abby so wrapped up in her own emotions she got sidetracked from the plan! She had to get back on track, and quick, Ziva was already getting ready to leave.

"Ziva?"

Her favourite Israeli assassin simply looked at her, her eyes questioning. "Yes?"

"Um…

_What do I say now?_

How do you tell someone you love them without saying the words 'I love you'? Like, you know, as if you want to say it, without saying it. So that, I don't know, maybe they will make the first move?"

That was sure to get her talking about Tony. But Abby was surprised when Ziva simply looked at her, pain evident in her eyes and said, "Take my word for it Abby, you can wait a lifetime waiting for them to take the first step."

Without speaking another word, Ziva left, leaving Abby alone with her thoughts.

~~~NCIS~~~

McGee stood, gawking at the screen in front of him.

Abby had gotten so into her conversation with Ziva that she forgot all about the camera, leaving McGee to watch her release all of her inmost thoughts about him.

He wasn't sure what to think. Did she really have feelings for him, or was she simply acting to get Ziva to open up? She had seemed pretty sincere, but were those really her feelings, or just _his_ feelings obscuring his judgement on the situation?

Either way, he was going to be up all night thinking about her….

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**Hey I just wanted to thank you all for the reviews, I really enjoy them. If you like it please review, I really appreciate them. Thanks for reading! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update but I had a lot going on, well here's the next chapter. I also just want to say that some people have noted that my story is similar to Camp Waterford, I just read it and I semi-agree. While our stories are similar, the plot is the same because it is for a fanfic competition on a team building story. Also, I want to mention that my girl talk chapter was added before the Girl Talk chapter from Camp Waterford. That alone proves that I am not simply copying his/her ideas, and it is a fairly common thing in NCIS fanfic for Abby to play match-maker and McGee to work with her. I am not saying this in a negative way, I just want to defend myself from any accusations you may be thinking of. Again, thank you all for reading! I really appreciate reviews.

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**Sorry to mess the story up but PLEASE read the author's note for this chapter. It's below the bolded disclaimer. :) Thanks.  
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McGee tried to get over his initial shock of hearing Abby say the words he's been wanting her to for so long on that tape. He still didn't know if she was acting or serious, but one thing was for sure, that tape made him realize, he can't wait any longer.

Ziva's words of "You can wait a lifetime waiting for them to take the first step" really made him realize that she was right. Even if Abby didn't feel the same way, she had a right to know the way that he felt, and he can't wait forever for him to give him a sign, if anything she just did.

McGee took a deep breath, now that he made up his mind to tell her, he felt like he couldn't wait any longer, yet he knew he had to in order to get Tony on tape.

He wasn't exactly sure how to get Tony to open up, after all Tony wasn't one to share his emotions so quickly, he almost always covered them up with a lame joke or prank.

He'd thought of getting a movie that fit Tony's situation, but he knew whenever he'd try to talk about it Tony would just quote the movie and mock him.

McGee knew that he was going to have to just talk with Tony, and not provide him with any outs.

Tonight was perfect as nothing was scheduled, so that was one excuse Tony couldn't use. McGee decided that it had to be tonight.

He was watching TV, casually waiting for Tony when he walked in. McGee noticed it out of the corner of his eye and knew he had to start. He grabbed the remote and turned the television off, he needed to make sure he and Tony didn't get distracted. The camera was already in place and all he needed now was a confession.

McGee started with, "There's not much on TV right now. It's a pretty nice place here though, don't you think?"

Tony was still brooding over seeing Ziva and Josh flirting though, so he wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Whatever McLame, the place is okay I guess."

McGee was not surprised at Tony's trying to turn the conversation away from how he actually felt about something, even if it was just a place. This was going to be hard, but Tony gave him an easy in when he mumbled, "The people aren't so great."

McGee smiled to himself; Tony had just made a big slip-up if he didn't want to reveal his feelings for Ziva. "What's wrong with the people? We've only met our guide."

Tony just shook his head and replied, "Ya, well, meeting our _guide_ was enough. I have a gut feeling that he's no good."

McGee chuckled at Tony's comment, he knew Tony had nothing against Josh other than the fact that he liked Ziva, if he like Abby, Tony and Josh would have no problem with each other. He decided to point this out, "Are you sure that _gut feeling_ isn't more like a feeling most people call jealousy?"

Tony was on his way to his room when he spun around and marched up to McGee. "What are you saying McDork? I'm not jealous of anyone!"

McGee didn't back down though, "I think you're jealous of Josh."

Tony was furious, he practically shouted into McGee's face, "and WHY would I be jealous of that jerk?!"

McGee smiled, Tony was jealous, he knew so by the way he was criticising Josh, he only criticised people he didn't know when they flirted with Ziva. "You're jealous of Josh because of how Ziva flirted with him."

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony was getting redder by the minute, "SHE DID NOT!" he forced himself to lower his voice so no one would hear them. "She did _not_ flirt with him, he flirted with her, _she_ only was being po-_lite._"

Tony could feel himself being backed into a corner, but there was no way out, if he left now, McGee would know why, and he'd hang it over Tony for the rest of his life. Not to mention the fact that McGee can't keep a secret, especially from Abby who's been trying to get him and Ziva together for years, and Ziva herself because McFear was terrified of her.

His only was out was to stay in, but that was risky too because the wall he's been hiding his feelings for Ziva behind for years was slowly starting to crack. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of this, so he decided to change the subject.

"What's the matter Mc_Love_, you didn't seem to keen on Josh either. Maybe you're the one who's jealous about Ziva."

He could see McGee look momentarily startled, but then, something changed in the younger agent's face. He smiled, seemed more sure of himself, almost smug and Tony was not expected what he said next.

"You're right."

Tony could feel his blood rising, how could McGee, MCGEE love Ziva. He loved her, he was the only one who truly loved her. Other men like Josh and McGee loved her looks, but he loved her looks, _and _the person inside. His anger was rising, he felt overwhelmed and betrayed by this sudden confession, all of his anger bubbled up until he could only say one word to release it all, "WHAT!!!"

He couldn't fight it anymore, McGee couldn't love Ziva. He pounced on McGee, knocking him to the ground. They began to wrestle for a while, Tony hadn't realized how strong McGee was, he was actually giving him a fight. Tony however was powered by fury that his friend could have feelings for the woman he loves.

~~~NCIS~~~

McGee hadn't expected Tony to jump him, but he had to fight back in order to keep from getting hurt. Finally he decided to tell Tony he didn't really love Ziva.

He opened his mouth and yelled, "STOP!" Then quieter, "I don't love Ziva."

Tony was obviously shocked. He apparently wanted more answers so he pinned McGee to the ground and held his arms. McGee could see the fire shooting out of his eyes. "You _don't _love Ziva?"

McGee shook his head and could see the fire in the senior agent's eyes calm a little. Tony questioned him with a harsh voice though, "So they WHY did you say you did?"

McGee was not in the best position right now to admit that he tricked Tony, but he decided to tell the truth. "I lied because I knew you loved her and I wanted you to admit it to me, because now that you have you can admit it to her."

Tony glared at McGee, then spit out, "I do NOT love her."

McGee smiled, "Then why did you just jump on me as soon as I said I had feelings for her?"

Tony glared at him, then spoke in a cold, emotionless voice, "This conversation is over."

McGee smiled, he was quite happy with these results; as soon as Tony went into his room he'd go and see Abby.

Tony pushed himself off of McGee and started to head to his room when he saw a small red light. He whipped around to look at it, when he noticed what it was, his face turned a bright red and he stomped over to the video camera. He picked it up, took the tape out and snapped it in two, then turned to McGee.

McGee was actually scared, he'd never seen this cold side of Tony before, his eyes were ice when they looked at him and Tony asked what the tape was for.

McGee lied, saying that he didn't mean to tape their conversation, he was taping himself for the online competitions, when Tony walked in and he forgot about it.

Tony however was not convinced, he stared at McGee, and too angry for words stalked out of the room.

_Shoot!_ McGee thought, it was all going perfect until he saw the camera, he forgot to set up the signal that would send this taping to Abby so all their evidence was gone.

McGee wasn't sure what to say or do now, even though he was sure this was going to come back to haunt him. This was too much, Tony was NEVER too mad for words. McGee sighed, now he had to get back on Tony's good side, which, seeing how mad he was wasn't going to be easy, but it was futile to, as Abby called it, "Operation Tiva". This was going to be harder than he thought.

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**Thank you sooo much for reading, I really love the feedback and if you don't have an account, anonymous reviews are accepted so please, tell me how I'm doing. :) Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Yay, I hope this was fast enough updating (In the same day.) I do ask though, PLEASE update, i really love it when you do and it gives me incentive to update sooner. :) Thanks for reading:)  


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Tony couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Ziva. He needed to clear his thoughts.

He went into the main room, knowing McGee would be fast asleep. Although he didn't want to admit it, he'd been very close to telling McGee the truth earlier today.

Tony sighed, he was getting weak, if he couldn't keep his guard up around McGee how was he supposed to do so around Ziva? This… feeling was really starting to get the best of him. Every time he saw her he just wanted to go up and kiss her, but he never did.

He said he didn't love her, but really he only said that because he knew she didn't love him. What was he supposed to do? Rule 12 said he was never allowed to date a co-worker.

_Coward! You know that you're only using that as an excuse!_

Tony shuddered, that inner voice was getting louder and louder these days, most often coming out when he was with her. It would yell over and over again "tell her, TELL HER!" but he never could get up the courage to do so.

All he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms and tell her how he feels, but he knew that could never become a reality. Not because of rule 12, but because he was too coward to tell her.

He always told himself that maybe she did care, it was possible that she returned his feelings, but then moments like when she flirted with Josh would come up and he'd once again have to face the heartbreaking reality that she simply didn't care for him.

That was probably why he was so cold to McGee today, he couldn't hold it in anymore. Then McGee started questioning him about Ziva and Josh, it was just too much. He was still struggling with the fact that he alone had these feelings and then McGee starts telling him he's jealous, and on videotape!

Tony didn't know how McGee planned to, but he was sure that this was another plot to bring him and his partner together. He was also sure that this was Abby's idea. It seemed like she was always brainstorming different ideas to get Ziva and him together, last Christmas it was the mistletoe. He laughed it off but no one knew how much it hurt when she refused to kiss him. She said it was because she doesn't follow American traditions as she is Israeli, but he knew she simply didn't want to kiss him.

After that Abby and McGee had stopped trying for a while, but they were at it again. Tony didn't know how much more he could take of this. He wanted desperately to tell her how he felt, but it was useless. She didn't care for him and that would only make things awkward between them.

Even when Tony could convince himself that she loved him back, he was still too afraid to admit his feelings. Every time he opened up his heart to let some one in he got hurt, and this would be no different. Jeanne, Paula, they were both perfect examples of what happened when he opened up his heart and risked falling in love.

The problem was that even with Jeanne and Paula, he didn't feel the same way as he did now. He thought he'd loved them, he really did, but whenever he stared into Ziva's eyes, that's when he felt pure love.

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, he needed to clear his head. So he did what he did at home when Ziva haunted his dreams, he watched TV.

Since nothing good was on TV he decided to watch a movie. He grabbed the remote and got everything ready, but when he went to put the DVD in, it's place was filled. Thinking that McGee was watching some sort of dorky sci-fi movie earlier, Tony decided to watch it to mock him later.

Tony sat down and pressed play, but he wasn't expecting what was about to happen next.

Abby and Ziva's picture filled the screen, Abby begins "We need to talk."

Ziva begins to edge away and Tony knew that he was right about Abby and McGee planning to set them up.

A few seconds later, as Ziva is just about to say something and disappear into her room, Abby says "About me and McGee."

Tony smiles, _I'm guessing Abby doesn't know McGee was seeing this. _

His smile got even wider as Ziva looked adorable as she simply raised an eyebrow and replied, "Oh?"

Abby looked a little flustered, but goes on "I think I have feelings for him."

Tony's throat tightened, she said that so simply to Ziva, why couldn't he do the same? Why was it so much harder for him? It wasn't fair. He was about to turn the television off when he heard Abby ask the question he's wanted to know the answer to for a very long time. "How do you tell someone you love them without saying the words 'I love you'? Like, you know, as if you want to say it, without saying it. So that, I don't know, maybe they will make the first move?"

Tony held his breath as he waited for the answer, the whole world seemed to go quiet as he waited for his answer. He was waiting desperately to see what she would say, but he only became confused when Ziva looked genuinely hurt and replied, "Take my word for it Abby, you can wait a lifetime waiting for them to take the first step." And with that she left.

Tony wasn't sure what to think. He thought that he was about to get the perfect solution, Ziva herself telling him how to say I love you without saying it, then she implies that she's waiting for someone to take the first step with her.

_She's talking about you._

But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, so did another one, _No she's not, she loves someone else and is waiting for them to tell her how they feel._

Tony's heart was breaking as he thought about the possibility that Ziva loved someone else, that she cared for someone who wasn't him.

Then for once, Tony didn't hold back. He didn't hide his emotions or cover up with a joke, he simply went to bed and cried himself to sleep.

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**Thanks for reading, please review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update but I had a lot of computer problems. So it took a while to get this up but i hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy! (And PLEASE review, i love it when you do.) :)  


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It was 7 o'clock before the whole team was seated in the main cabin eating the breakfast provided. Tony and Ziva were of course sitting across from each other as were Abby and McGee, Gibbs sat at the head of the table and glared at Tony who had accidentally spilled his coffee on their way to the table.

Ziva looked up from her eggs to find Tony staring at her, when he knew he was caught he simply smiled and said "You gonna finish that?"

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his "DiNozzo grin" and she simply handed him her plate, she was almost done anyways.

His grin got even wider and he immediately dug into his food.

A few minutes later everyone was finished eating so they met Josh in the main room. He walked up to them and smiled at Ziva. Tony immediately shot daggers at him and Ziva did not fail to notice this.

_Maybe he does care. _She knew that this was fanciful thinking and corrected herself mentally, _he doesn't care, and from this point on neither do you. It is time to move on, like you have said so many times before, these are feelings that you need to let go of._

She smiled back at Josh and is surprised to see Tony look hurt for a moment, but she figures it must be her imagination because a second later he is back to his usual DiNozzo grin, even though it seems that the sparkle in his eye isn't there and the smile looks a little forced.

Josh begins, still smiling at Ziva. "We have a lot planned for you today. First, we're going to have a test."

Josh chuckled as all the agents groaned, but he continued, "The test will be done orally, you will all be asked multiple questions about your co-workers. The point is to see just how well you know each other, many people are surprised at how they thought they knew someone very well, when in reality they knew very little about each other outside of work."

Josh continued, "Even partners like Agent David," he paused for a moment, a small smile finding it's way to his lips as he looks Ziva over.

Tony is furious, his face slowly starts to turn a deep red and he glares daggers at Josh , who, seeing Tony's fierce look quickly finishes, "and Agent DiNozzzo. Will everyone please follow me this way."

The team did so, Josh going first, Ziva second, her eyes subtly checking Josh out. Little did she know that Tony had noticed and was now glowering at her. She turns around to find him only about an inch away from her face. She sucks in her breath, being this close to him is always takes it's toll on her.

Tony knows his face is hot with anger at Ziva and Josh, but when he stares into Ziva's eyes at this close distance, he can't help but begin to lean in a little. He can feel her breath on his chest and she looks up into his face.

They stare in each other's eyes, both waiting for the other to either move in or away. Neither one did and the whole world seemed to stop spinning as the two stood there nose to nose. They were in a world of their own, but the moment was shattered when Gibbs head-slapped them both.

He rolled his eyes and barked out, "Come on and let's get this test over with ASAP!

A stunned Tony and Ziva shook their feelings off and followed Gibbs down the hallway.

~~~NCIS~~~

Abby watched the exchange between Tony and Ziva, a huge smile on her face the whole time. She turned to McGee and punched him in the arm.

He looks at her as if to say, "What was that for?" but she only grins and says, "I told you so!"

McGee rolled his eyes, but Abby wasn't deterred. "MCGEE! Don't roll your eyes at me! Besides, this is perfect!"

McGee looked at her and questioned, "What is?"

Abby sighed, "Oh McGee, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. This week is going to force them together, I can just feel it!"

With that, Abby walks away, with a slight skip in her step, leaving McGee to stand dumbfounded behind her.

_If she notices all these feelings between Ziva and Tony, why doesn't she notice my feelings for her?_

~~~NCIS~~~

Gibbs rolled his eyes, if this was what the week was going to be like, he already couldn't wait for the end.

_The only good part about this place so far is the coffee, and DiNozzo ruined that for me when he spilled mine this morning. _

Gibbs was not in a very good mood at all, and anyone in his position couldn't blame him. First, he's forced to go on this trip, then he looses his coffee because DiNozzo was too caught up in his own little world to watch where he was going, and now his whole team was about to break rule 12!

Gibbs shook his head. Why didn't they understand, they all thought that these rules were just one more way that he kept control over them. While that was partially true, it was mainly for their good. It was to keep them from getting hurt. It was to stop them from being heartbroken like he was so many times.

Although everyone was there for him when Jenny died, they never truly understood how much it hurt.

He was trying to protect them from feeling like he did, he was trying to stop them from suffering from the same heartbreak he did.

It just goes to show what happens when you get too close to a co-worker, especially one that puts their life in danger every day.

_Jethro…_

Gibbs rubbed his forehead, ever since she left him, Jenny's voice seemed to have become the voice of his conscience.

_Jethro, knowing what was going to happen to me, would you still have gotten involved?_

He started to say no, but when he thought about it, as much as it hurt when she died, the time he had with her made all the pain worth it.

He could practically see her staring down at him, smiling at that last thought.

_So if it was worth it, and you would do it again, why won't you let them try their chance?_

Gibbs was starting to see the cracks in his plan, Jenny always was the one person who could get him to doubt his resolve.

_Jethro…. In your attempt to save them from hurt, you've only kept them from the same kind of happiness that we had together._

He knew she was right, she always was the sensible one.

_Jethro, you can make this right. You can make them happy._

Gibbs smiled, although he'd never admit to his team that he was wrong, he was. He'd tell them at the campfire that was scheduled for tonight.

_I miss you Jethro._

At that Gibbs smiled, _I miss you too Jen, I miss you too._

_

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_**A little different than the other chapters but I wanted to show the other side of Gibbs we rarely get to see. That takes care of rule 12 and I will try to update soon! :) I hope you enjoyed it, please review, anonymous ones are allowed if you don't have an account, I just love hearing back from you guys. Your reviews have already made me glad that I wrote this story, so please review!**_  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: I am sorry it took so long to update but my writing kept getting interupted so I couldn't write to fast. I hope that it is worth the long wait for all of you! I also would like your help. Whenever I download a new chapter I notice that my story doesn't to go to the top of the list of most recently updated stories, making it hard to find unless it's on your story alert. I constantly have to upload the new chapter multiple times or else it just doesn't go to the top. I am a first time poster, so is this normal? Or even if it's not normal, is it a serious problem and how do I fix it? I am sorry for the inconvenience for people looking for it that have to look farther than they should, thank you for your help! Please review, I love it when you do and I update faster too (hint hint)! Thanks for reading!

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"Hey Bossman, you all right?" Abby's voice snapped Gibbs out of his thoughts.

"Ya, now come on, let's get this test over with."

Abby stared after Gibbs as he walked away though, wondering what was wrong. She could've sworn that she just heard him mumbling something to himself, and he had a distant look on his face. Maybe she should just double-check to make sure he's okay.

_Hold it Abby. It's just your imagination running away with you again. _Abby smiled, that was all it was, Gibbs was fine, she just worries too much.

She hurried down the hall, everyone else was already in the room Josh had led them to. Josh smiled at her as she walked through the door, and she couldn't help but notice that Tony didn't have a problem with it when Josh smiled at her. _Of course he didn't look at you in the same way as he did with Ziva, but still…_

She looked around the room. It was set up almost like a classroom and Abby chose an open seat next to McGee. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, blushing a little under his gaze.

Josh went to the front of the room and addressed them all with a smile. "As you all know my name is Josh and I am your guide here at Jayton Lake. So you all know who I am and what I do, but I would like to get to know you better."

Abby didn't fail to notice that Josh had looked directly at Ziva when he said the last part and judging by the look on Tony's face, he noticed too.

Josh continued, "So, if you will all just shortly introduce yourselves, you can say your name, job and one fact that you don't think anyone here knows about you."

Josh gave everyone a dazzling smile , almost as good as DiNozzo's, then turned to Tony.

There seemed to be some tension between the two that Abby couldn't help but notice, and Josh met Tony glare for glare before Ziva looked his way, then he smiled and said, "Agent DiNozzo will you begin?"

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony really didn't care if Ziva was looking or not, _If she chooses him over me, then so be it. _

Even just thinking that Ziva didn't care for him and would prefer Josh made Tony flinch. He glared at Josh with ice in his eyes and remained silent even after Josh asked him to begin.

Josh just stood there, smiling at him, looking innocent while others could see, while only a moment ago he matched Tony's stare with his own.

Gibbs slapped Tony's head and barked a "DiNozzo!"

Tony shot one more glare at Josh before he began, "My name is Anthony DiNozzo, I am a special agent for NCIS and something you all wouldn't know about me is…"

_I'd like to kick Josh's butt._

"that..." Tony looked right at Josh and stared him in the eyes as he said the last part of the sentence, "I _always_ get the girl I'm after."

Josh simply gave him a smug smile as if to say, "not this time" and turned to Ziva, who sat between Tony and Gibbs. Ziva looked a little hurt at Tony's comment but she once again went into Mossad mode.

She straightened her back and showed no emotion as she said, "My name is Ziva David and I am a liason for NCIS. Something no one here would know about me is…" Tony was still glaring at Josh but at this he looked to Ziva, he really wanted to know more about his mysterious partner.

He noticed her expressions soften and saw a hint of a tear in her eyes when she said "…I blame myself for Jenny's death."

Her comment dropped like a bombshell on the room, no one knowing what to do or say next.

Since Ziva was not one to reveal much about herself no one was expecting this revelation, it seems that even Josh, who never met Jenny was surprised at Ziva's honesty. Everyone turned to look at her, sympathy and shock in their eyes.

No one knew what to do, but Josh was the first to recover and he smiled sympathetically at Ziva when he said, "Thank you for sharing. Agent Gibbs, do you have something to say?"

Tony's mind was spinning too fast to listen to Gibbs answer though. _How could she think that it's her fault? She wanted to stay with Jen despite her orders, she shouldn't feel guilty at all, it was my fault. _

Then Tony closed his eyes at the pain of what he just realized.

_I kept feeling so sorry for myself that I got lost in my own pain and completely forgot about Ziva's suffering. How could I do that? She means the world to me yet I wasn't there for her when she needed me most. _

Tony rubbed his forehead, completely unaware of everything going on around him. He failed her. There was no excuse. He didn't deserve her, the one time she needed his strength, and he didn't even try to comfort her. How could he ever make it up to her?

Tony was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that everyone stopped talking and was staring at him.

Gibbs brought him back to reality with a smack on the head and nodded to Josh signalling for him to begin.

Josh smiled and said, "Next we are going to play charades; this will help us evaluate how well you communicate without words. There will be no teams, one person will act out an object or action without words and everyone else will guess what they are acting out."

He smiled and looked around the circle, "Who would like to go first?"

Normally, Tony would be the one eager to step up and go first but he was in no mood to help Josh out, so he simply stood and glared at him.

Josh looked from person to person waiting for a volunteer and finally found one in Abby.

"Okay Ms. Scuito, you can act out anything you want, or if you need ideas, please feel free to pick from this bag."

He held out the bag to her and she gave him a huge smile as she picked a small sheet of paper. She giggled at what was on it, then started acting.

She dropped on all fours and hung her tongue out of her mouth. Everyone shouted all at once, "DOG!"

She smiled and nodded, getting back to her knees and sitting back down.

Josh took control once again saying, "Okay, since everyone said that at the same time, Ms. Scuito gets to choose who goes next."

Everyone looked to Abby who shrugged and said, "McGee, you're up!"

~~~NCIS~~~

After half and hour of charades Josh stood in front of everyone. "Okay, so I am just about to let you guys go. You all communicate _very_ well without words. I want to thank you for your co-operation, and right before you go, I want to do one more activity."

Ziva saw Tony roll his eyes and wondered what it was that had him in such a bad mood.

She turned her attention back to Josh who said, "I have noticed that although you all communicate very well, and seem to be quite close, you all seem to be hiding a good deal from one another. So I will help you get some things off your chest"

Ziva looked nervously towards Tony not sure if Josh should try to get them to share their secrets, Tony didn't feel the same way that she did and when that is the case some things are better left unsaid.

Josh noted the worried looks on all of their faces and how almost all of them glanced towards one other team member. He wasn't too pleased to see Ziva look at Tony, but let it roll of his back. He smiled and continued, "Don't worry; you do not have to tell each other anything."

He almost burst out laughing at the looks of relief on their faces, but continued, "Instead, I will get each of you a small piece of paper on which you will all write down your deepest secret that you don't want anyone else, especially on the team to know. No one will see these papers so you can all write your real secrets. Once you have written your secret, you'll be allowed to take it with you and you'll all throw them in the campfire tonight. Research has proven that people work better without secrets. So you will release these secrets, knowing that no one will ever find out, and then the fire will take it away from you."

Ziva thought that this was a stupid idea, but both Gibbs and the director ordered her to follow directions at the camp and she complied.

She took the paper and sat down. Realizing she forgot a pen, she asks Tony, who is grabbing a pen from the front to get one for her.

He nods and grabs an extra pen, but when he hands it to her, their fingers touch and a pleasant shock flows up both their arms. Ziva blushes, which is uncommon for her and Tony clears his throat then sits down, a little red-faced himself.

No one noticed the glare Josh gave Tony, or the fact that Gibbs was rolling his eyes at the exchange between his two agents.

When everyone was seated they silently wrote down their secret, leaving quietly with their sheet of paper in hand. What they didn't notice was the five small video cameras pointed towards each of their seats, revealing all their secrets to the watcher of the tape.

~~~NCIS~~~

Josh smiled; no one even suspected what this was going to turn into. He was surprised that these investigators couldn't even notice the cameras pointed so conveniently at their sheets-- then again, the cameras were small and well hidden.

Of course the agents were going to burn their secrets and probably feel better to have gotten it out of their system, but he was going to reveal the tapes at the end of the week.

In order for them to work in harmony, they couldn't have secrets. Besides, the Goth and the geek were on the verge of telling each other their secrets anyways; he may as well help them.

As soon as all the agents were gone, Tony leaving him with an icy glare which was matched by his own, Josh took the tapes out and decided to watch them in the staff lounge. He smiled at Gibbs' secret: _My team is my second family_.

Josh was sure that the hard-headed, business-minded team leader wouldn't ever tell his agents that, which made Josh's plan even better, his team should know that they are appreciated, _even DiNozzo_.

At the mention of Tony's name Josh's smile disappeared. That guy had serious issues, it's not like DiNozzo was actually dating Ziva, so why couldn't he?

Josh popped the next tape in and pressed play. It only confirmed his suspicions about McGee's feelings when he saw a simple "I love Abby" scribbled on McGee's sheet. Next, Josh popped in Abby's tape, already knowing what was on it. Again, his suspicions were confirmed and Abby confessed her love of McGee.

Josh smiled, _now its DiNozzo's turn. _He popped the tape in and smiled, he had him. His smile disappeared though when Tony's tape didn't work. Josh swore and banged the TV, without one tape, he couldn't reveal any of them. Sighing, he decided to try and catch a video of Tony's secret before it was destroyed that night in the fire.

He took Tony's tape out and popped the last one in--Ziva's. This he wanted to see, wondering what her secret was, he turned the tape on.

He smiled when he saw Ziva grab the pen, _Man she's hot!_ He thought to himself.

His face paled however when he saw what she wrote, "I saw the camera."

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**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! 3**


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: It took a little longer to update than I would've liked, but it wasn't too long either. I want to thank you all for your answers to my problem, it really helped, your reviews litterally made my day and I hope you write some more. Enjoy!

* * *

Ziva smiled to herself as she walked out of the "classroom." Joshua wasn't as smooth as he thought. He wasn't as subtle as he thought either.

_Ha! _She thought to herself, _I guess Joshua didn't read our profiles, anyone who knows I am Mossad would know not to try and pull that lame trick on me. _

She noticed it all, she noticed he was lying when he said their secrets would stay secrets, she noticed the video camera and she even noticed the looks.

_I am not stupid Joshua; I know when someone checks me out._

To tell the truth she was sort of enjoying the attention Joshua was giving her at first, but once again Tony ruined that for her. One moment she was flirting with and checking Josh out, the next she sees Tony and Josh no longer seems important.

It wasn't her fault really, no one could blame her. No one could say she didn't try, because she really did, she tried quite hard to get over Tony, but anyone who has ever been in love knows that it is not that simple.

Anyone who has ever been in love realizes that you can't just move on when everything you do and everything you've become is because of them. She was not the only one carrying this burden of love, only others carried the burden were blessed when that love was returned. They got to enjoy the benefits of knowing the one you love loves you back, but she wasn't that lucky.

She had fallen in love with the wrong man, and she suffered for it every time she saw him. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of being in his presence, knowing that her feelings weren't returned.

Ziva sighs, it's not fair. She didn't want to feel this way, it wasn't her choice, she didn't want to fall in love, and yet she did.

Ziva straightened her back, _It is time you do as you tell the others and let go of these unnecessary feelings. Tony doesn't care for you, so you no longer care for Tony._

It was at that time that she noticed her coworkers walking together towards the recreation cabin. She walked up to them but Tony didn't look too happy to see her.

_What's his problem, I know he doesn't care for me but can't he at least pretend that he can stand my presence? _

Tony's greeting was as cold as his stare, "What's the matter Zee-vah? Josh do something to piss you off?

Ziva thought that the last part sounded a little hopeful but dismissed it as her imagination.

"As a matter of fact he did."

Tony raised his eyebrow at the comment and smiled for the first time since they'd met Josh that morning. "So what did Josh do to earn the wrath of Ziva?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, why was it that Tony had such a problem with Josh? "Well, I will tell you if you all tell me your secrets."

Ziva wondered how bad their secrets were when each and every one of them grew huge eyes, got red faced and stuttered. While she could assume McGee and Abby admitted their feelings, what was Tony's secret?

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony crumpled his sheet of paper with his secret on it, making sure the _I love Ziva _couldn't be read. He gulped to try and swallow the rapidly growing lump in his throat. He only wrote his real secret down because he was sure no one would ever find out what it was, he wouldn't know what he would do if someone found out.

He stuttered over his next words, "I… uh… um… what? I mean _why _do you want to know our secrets?"

Ziva looked at him strangely and said in her nonchalant way, "Curiosity, that is all."

Tony gulped, "Well I for one don't care what Josh did to get you mad, I'm not sharing."

Ziva stared at him defiantly, but he matched her glare with his own, he flinched at what she said next though.

"Fine, I guess I will find out soon enough."

Tony's eyes went wide, as did Abby and McGee's, he practically shouted "What?!!!"

Ziva looked at him, she'd never seen that look in his eyes before, she barely ever saw him afraid, but she'd never seen him terrified. She simply smiled and said, "I can find out your secrets, I will be back in five minutes telling you all what they are to prove it."

Tony visibly paled, he could feel the blood drain from his face. She couldn't know, she couldn't!

If she knew, everything would change. She didn't feel the same way and he couldn't bear the heartbreak of her rejecting him.

She was the only woman he ever truly loved. Even when he was with Jeanne he thought about her, Jeanne was simply an outlet for all of these overwhelming feelings he could never tell his partner.

He still remembered the first time he saw her, she changed his life as soon as she walked into it and she never failed to turn his world upside down every day since. It seemed like he could never get her off his mind, before he met her he was a player, not anymore. He hadn't had a date in ages, and it was all because of her. He would notice a hot chick, flirt a little, then think of Ziva and the next thought was always the same, _She's got nothing on my little ninja._

Tony could feel his legs getting weak from fear, it's funny how he could be face to face with a murderer and he still wouldn't be as scared as he was right now. Nothing terrified him more than Ziva discovering how he felt about her, he just might die of heartbreak if she didn't return his feelings.

He was terrified of her finding out, and yet a small part of him always wanted, no _needed _her to know. That was the side that won out when he flirted with her, it was the only low-risk way to let her know he cared. It was that same side that would shout for him to tell her.

It was the voice that seemed to be growing stronger and stronger every time he saw her.

He constantly wondered if that voice would finally out-grow the other one and force him to give in. In a way he hoped it did, he didn't know how much longer he could take this inner turmoil that seemed to be tearing him in two.

He always wanted to tell her, he desperately wanted to know how she felt herself, but as always he was too scared to ask.

Tony cleared his throat and looked at Ziva, "And just how do you expect to know our secrets Zee-vah?"

Ziva stared at him and said, "I will ask Josh."

She almost burst out into laughter at the looks of shock and worry on their faces. She quickly got over this though when Tony's face turned whiter than she'd ever seen before and his eyes were filled with murder, "JOSH KNOWS?!"

She had expected a reaction, but not like this. Tony was starting to shake with fury and she decided to stop teasing them and just explain what happened. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, you see, Josh seems to have taped us all writing down our secrets and I am guessing he will reveal them to all of us later."

Tony had gone from shaking of anger to sadness all at once, _This cannot be happening, if I ever got the nerve to tell her, I wanted it to be special, it was never meant to be like this. _

That's when he thought of something, he would get to see her secret too! He grinned and said, "So Zee-vah, what exactly did you write about?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and he saw her blush, "Mention anyone in particular?"

He started to get his hopes up for a minute but they crashed to the ground when she replied "I wrote that I saw the camera's."

Disappointment was evident on Tony's face but he covered it up with a grin saying, "Guess nothing gets past our Mossad officer. Well, I will meet up with you guys later, I'm going to see if I can get Gibbs to spill his secret."

He walked away, the frown returning to it's place, Gibbs could wait, right now he had to get back that tape.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva hurried to get ready, they were all supposed to be at the campfire in 15 minutes, Gibbs had said something about having a big announcement.

She, Tony, Abby and McGee had all decided to watch a movie and relax until the fire. Now they were running a little late, she pulled on a sweater that would be warmer in the cool night air and quickly brushed her hair. She never used to worry about her looks as much as she did now, _one more thing to thank Tony for. _

She walked out of her room and waited while Abby finished up.

Abby came out of the room and they left for the fire, Gibbs would not be happy if they were late. They met everyone else behind the recreation cabin and Ziva looked around, wondering where Josh was.

A nice-looking lady came out of the cabin and smiled at them, "Hi, my name is Lisa. Josh quit earlier today so I am your new host.

Ziva was confused at why Josh suddenly quit, he seemed perfectly happy with his job this morning, she looked to the others to see if they knew and realized a smirk on Tony's face, it quickly disappeared when she looked at him though, and a look of total innocence came on his face. _What exactly did you do when you left us this morning Tony…_

She shook the thought from her head, Tony didn't have anything to do with Josh leaving, he simply is happy he's gone.

Lisa smiled again and said, "So I already know your names, but I look forward to learning more about each of you this week. We have to apologize, it came to our attention that Josh violated your privacy and we are truly sorry. We are going to try and make it up to you in any way we can, including the fact that we've now scheduled extra free time into your schedule. We hope you all enjoy yourselves. Now let's start a campfire!"

Ten minutes later and all the agents were warming themselves up by the fire, smiles on all their faces. Ziva grabbed a marshmallow from the and was about to put it on her stick when Tony, who Abby made sure was sitting next to Ziva, stole it and stuck it in his mouth.

"Tony!" Ziva replied, instantly jumping to her feet to confront him.

Tony just swallowed the marshmallow and grinned, "What's the matter Zee-vah, don't you know sharing is important to have a good team?"

Ziva looked to Gibbs for support but she only got a smirk. Gibbs stood up and said, "DiNozzo, leave David alone, I need to tell you all something."

Everyone sat down, waiting for the big announcement Gibbs told them about earlier today. "I've decided to get rid of rule 12."

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**Hope you liked it, thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay, well, this is the ninth chapter. I hope you enjoy it! I would love to hear back from you so please review!  


* * *

Tony couldn't believe his ears, Gibbs had just said the words Tony had been both longing for and dreading ever since Ziva joined the team. There was now one less obstacle to overcome to show his love for Ziva, but it was also one less thing to hide his feelings behind.

Tony could know his feelings for Ziva were slowly being pushed to the surface, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold back.

He looked over to see Ziva smiling at Gibbs' abolishment of the rule, _She's happy he got rid of the rule! Maybe she does feel the same way..._

But as soon as Tony thought this, he still knew in his heart that she didn't, she was probably just happy for Abby and McGee, who were very obvious with their wide smiles and not-so-secret looks. He rolled his eyes, the Probie should just tell her how he feels. _As should you. _

Tony flinched at that inside voice. He was always amazed at how ever since he met her, Ziva _was_ the voice of his conscience. He didn't really mind though, he loved hearing her voice.

Ziva glanced at him it was only when she raised an eyebrow that he realized he'd been staring at her.  
He grinned and gave a slight nod towards Abby and McGee, Ziva grinned back and rolled her eyes. She leaned in towards Tony and whispered, "Why is it that their relationship is so obvious to everyone else while they themselves are oblivious?"

Tony chuckled, he looked her in the eyes and hoped to get a reaction when he said, "It's funny how love works, but it almost always seems to go that way. Two people fall in love, are reluctant to admit it to themselves, and when they finally do, they don't dare admit it to anyone else. Meanwhile everyone but the one they love knows."

His heart seemed to stop in his chest while he waited for her to respond, _If she can't see that's a sign I don't know what is..._

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva's breath caught in her chest when Tony looked in her eyes, she stared right back into his and felt her stomach flutter.

He leaned in even closer and her heart was beating a million miles a minute when he continued to stare in her eyes and whispered, "It's funny how love works, but it almost always seems to go that way. Two people fall in love, are reluctant to admit it to themselves, and when they finally do, they don't dare admit it to anyone else. Meanwhile everyone but the one they love knows."

It was amazing the way Tony could speak clear to her heart and still leave her in doubt. That was exactly how she felt about him, but was he hinting that he returned her feelings, or was he simply explaining the way it was with Abby and McGee?

She couldn't seem to decipher this code he always spoke to her in, she wasn't sure what he meant. There were times like now when she wondered what exactly _he_ was feeling, but he never told her straight. She wished he would just tell her what he really meant, then again he might be and she's just reading too much between the lines.

She didn't know how to respond, she wanted to hint at her feelings without actually admitting them, that way she was safe from heartbreak if he didn't love her back.

She decided that the best way to do this was to use Tony's trick, she spoke in code, addressing a general issue, and tried her best to make sure her feelings were evident, yet slightly hidden to protect her from harm.

"They're too afraid to say anything themselves, their feelings might not be returned, but they're missing out on so much. They wait for the other one to make the first move, but one can wait a lifetime waiting for someone else to make the first move."

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony's eyes turned wide at Ziva's response, he'd heard her say that before, only he wasn't supposed to.

He'd heard her say it when he saw the videotape of her and Abby talking about relationships. It was the same line that he'd been thinking about ever since he heard it, praying that she meant him.

He pulled back from her, breaking the spell they were both under, _Does she mean me, or is she actually talking about Abby and McGee?_

He hated the way neither of them ever addressed the real issue, they were speaking in riddles, or at least he was. He was too scared to admit his real feelings to her so he hinted at them hoping that she'd realize, the problem is he never understood how to take her response.

He was never sure if she also meant what he did, that she was trying to tell him she loved him too, but was too scared to do so, or if she was addressing the surface issue.

Tony sighed and sat back in his seat, his thoughts running wild as he stared into the fire.

_You have to tell her, tell her today, tell her NOW; you can't put it off any longer._

_But she doesn't feel the same way, what would I do after pouring my heart out to her, only to have her reject me, or even worse laugh in my face._

Tony didn't know what to think anymore. The two voices in his head never seemed to stop arguing these days, and that combined with hiding his feelings whenever he saw her was really starting to wear him down.

He rubbed his head, trying to dispel the argument for even one moment so he could think clearly.

"HEY TONY! You all right?" Abby practically yelled at Tony across the fire, making everyone look his way.

Tony looked up and nodded, "Just tired that's all, think I'm going to turn in early tonight, night everyone."

He got up and began to walk away, unaware of the concerned look his partner was giving him as she watched him walk away.

"Tony wait!"

He turned around and groaned when he saw Ziva walking towards him, he really needed some time away from her so he think things through clearly, she always clouded his thoughts.

He flashed her one of his famous 'DiNozzo grins' and waited for her to catch up, wondering how he as going to keep his feelings a secret when he's on a private walk with her in the dark.

"I'm tired too, I thought that I'd walk back to the cabins with you."

She looked up at him and smiled, he couldn't help but smile back. They walked in silence for a few minutes until she broke the silence, "So McGee and Abby huh? When do you think he's going to tell her?"

Tony chuckled and looked at her, "I don't know but if you ask me it won't be long."

Ziva looked at him questioningly and he continued, they've both been fighting this for a long time and judging by the looks on their faces if McGee doesn't crack soon, Abby will."

Ziva smiled and nodded, and they resumed walking. Tony smirked, "You know this is becoming a little bit of a habit." Ziva looked at him and questioned, "McGee and Abby falling in love?" Tony nodded, "Sort of, but I meant co-workers falling in love. I mean there's Gibbs and Jenny, Abby and McGee, even you and..."

Tony realized what he was saying and stopped himself before he accidentally told her any more. _How am I going to get myself out of this one?! _

He grinned and tried to make it sound as if the whole thing was a joke when he said "Palmer, you two do make quite a cute couple if you ask me."

Ziva looked down and kept walking, Tony wasn't sure but he thought he'd seen something in her eyes right then. If he wasn't mistaken she looked a little happy and hopeful, waiting for him to continue, but when he said Palmer, that look disappeared and she seemed disappointed before she looked away.

He figured he was simply imagining things that he wanted to be there and didn't dare ask her about it.

They continued to walk in an awkward silence for a while, Tony not sure what to say. They eventually reached the cabins and Ziva simply muttered a "Night" while she kept walking, not even looking back at a confused Tony who was wondering, _What'd I do? _

He laughed and only semi-joked, "What no goodnight kiss?"

Ziva kept walking and he could practically hear her roll her eyes, he sighed and went into his cabin, laying his head against the door as soon as he shut it. _I have to be more careful, I almost let it slip. _

He shook his head and went into his bedroom, he changed into his pyjama pants and went to bed, unable to dream about anything but the beautiful Israeli he'd fallen in love with.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva walked away from Tony, grateful he couldn't see the tears streaming down her face.

She wasn't sure why she was fooling herself, Tony didn't love her and their previous conversation was more proof than she needed to know.

He didn't have any feelings for her, he was even trying to set her up with Palmer!

As if it's not an insult enough that he doesn't care for her, it was just that much worse when he tries to set her up, and with Palmer! Tony was constantly teasing Palmer, and that only proved what he thought she deserved in a man.

She wiped away the tears from her eyes but they only reappeared when Tony shouted out after her in a mocking voice, "What no good night kiss?"

_Why can't he actually mean that? Why do I have to have these feelings and not him? It's not fair. _She couldn't bare to face him now, she knew that if she did she'd probably burst into tears and he'd know why, so she did her best to ignore him and just kept on walking.

Ziva closed the door to her cabin and went immediately, knowing all the while that he'd be in all her dreams.

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Thanks for reading!! Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: It is a little shorter than normal but I updated in the same day so I hope that you enjoy and please review and tell me if you do! Thanks for reading!  


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McGee rolled his eyes as he waited for Tony to get out of the shower.

"Tony hurry up!"

"Relax McTense, I haven't been in that long."

McGee looked at his watch and knew they were going to be late, "Yes you have, it's been just under an hour!"

He could hear Tony chuckling at his expense, "Come on Probie, you have your own shower."

"Ya, but you took all my shampoo!"

"Sorry I can't hear you!"

McGee rolled his eyes at Tony and rephrased, "Whatever! May I _please_ have my shampoo back?"

Tony shut the water off and walked out of the bathroom fully dressed, grinning at the fact that he'd been done a long time ago and only wanted to annoy McGee. He handed him the shampoo bottle and said, "All you had to do was ask."

McGee rolled his eyes and headed to his bathroom, but Tony called out after him, "Trying to make sure you look good for anyone imparticular?"

_Don't bite McGee, don't bite…_

McGee kept on walking, deciding to ignore Tony as he really was running out of time. Tony wasn't one to be ignored however and followed McGee until he finally turned around.

Tony grinned and said, "Ya didn't answer my question."

McGee could feel his temper rising, everything today had to be perfect in order for him to tell her, and getting Gibbs mad at him for being late was _not _McGee's idea of perfect. "I don't need to answer your question Tony."

"Aw…. Someone a little touchy today McMad? Better hurry up and take that shower if you want to talk to Abby before we meet for breakfast."

McGee turned around at Tony's last comment, shock and worry evident in his eyes. "What do you mean? I'm not talking to Abby about anything before breakfast…." He saw Tony was about to begin again so he continued, "or after breakfast, and not during either!"

Tony chuckled, "You know McGee, you really need to work on your poker face, it's so easy to tell when you're lying."

McGee looked Tony in the eye and made sure he didn't move a muscle when he said, "I'm not lying, I just need to take a shower."

Tony smiled, "Whatever McGee, the whole team knows."

McGee looked at Tony, shock and fear in his eyes, _The whole team knows? No one can know! Does Abby know? If she does why hasn't she talked to me about it, unless she doesn't feel the same way and simply wants to ignore me and hope I get the hint. She was a little distant at the fire yesterday…_

Tony almost laughed out loud at the look on McGee's face, but he sobered up when he realized he could relate, he loved a co-worker too, only she didn't love him back the way Abby did McGee.

"Don't worry Probie, Abby doesn't know and no one is going to tell her but you."

McGee could feel his face getting red, "I'm not telling Abby anything, there isn't anything to tell, not like with you and Ziva!"

McGee smiled at the shocked look on Tony's face, but he began to fear for his life when a murderous look appeared in his co-workers eyes.

"What about me and Ziva, McGee?" Tony spat the words out.

McGee stuttered over what to say next, "I, uh, y-you and Ziva?"

Tony glared and took a step closer to McGee, "Ya, me and Ziva, that's what you said isn't it? So what about me and Ziva?"

McGee really needed to get going but Abby would kill him if he turned down this opportunity to make Tony admit his feelings, plus he's pretty sure the senior agent needs to have this talk.

McGee squared his shoulders and decided to just get straight to the point and dove right in with, "You love her."

Tony paled, _who else knows? _"No I don't!" He shouted, but decided to lower his voice before someone overheard them, "I do not love her, I don't know why you'd think I do, we're partners and that's all."

McGee smiled, "Now who's the one who needs to work on his poker face."

Tony glared at McGee, "What're you saying McGee?"

"I'm saying that you are so obvious that you love her, the whole team knows, and don't even try to deny it, you _love_ her."

Tony didn't move, he simply shot daggers at McGee with his eyes and said, "I do not love her, if it's so obvious that I do, _prove it!"_

McGee swallowed and took a step back, he wasn't used to seeing this overly serious side of Tony, and it was more than a little frightening. "Just relax Tony, I'm sorry, if you're not ready to admit it, then you don't have to."

Tony wouldn't back down though, "If it's so obvious I love her, PROVE IT!"

McGee sighed, there was no backing out now, Tony would see to that. "It's just that, you're constantly looking at her, you stare at her all the time, you get jealous when she has boyfriends and whenever she goes out and you don't know where, you become unbearable to work with. You're overly protective of her, you constantly watch her out of the corner of your eye and you always flirt with her, not to mention the way you constantly hint about your feelings."

Tony stumbled back, he knew McGee was right but that only hurt even more. _If it's so obvious to him, why can't she understand?_

McGee could see Tony's defences weakening so he tried to make him feel better, "Don't worry Tony, Ziva doesn't know, how she misses it, I don't know but she's just as oblivious as you. Come on, we all know you love her, it'd feel so much better just to get it off your chest and tell her. "

With that, McGee went into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony walked over to the couch and sat down, _Is it really that obvious? Does everyone really know? If everyone else sees it, why can't she? _

He pushed himself up off the couch and began pacing in front of it. Tony retraced every word in the previous conversation, everything McGee said was true. He was overprotective, he did constantly watch her, he did love her, but did she feel the same?

One line popped into Tony's head right then, "She's just as oblivious as you."

_What does that mean? _

She was oblivious for not realizing his feelings, but what was he oblivious for? Was he missing her hints just like she was missing his? Is that what McGee meant?

_No! You're imagining things. It simply means that you still don't get, it you're still oblivious to the fact that you're the only one with these feelings. Even though you know she doesn't care you still continue to think she does. You have to move on and forget about her. _

Tony knew the voice in his head was right, she didn't care for him, but he also noticed something else. As much as he should and as much as he needed to get over Ziva, she wasn't another Jeanne, he didn't want to move on, and he knew he could never forget about her. He also knew however that because she didn't feel the same way, he'd never be able to tell her, he'd have to be happy with seeing her every day at work, and every night in his dreams.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay, well, this is the eleventh chapter, the updating times are getting better. I want to thank you all so much for your reviews, I really love hearing back from you and they have really made writing this story worth it. This chapter is a little different than the others, but I hope you enjoy it and please continue to review!

* * *

Ziva put on her helmet, _This may actually be fun._

When the team met Lisa at the recreation cabin this morning, she informed them all that they'd been playing paintball, it was every man for himself and they were all supplied with protective suits.

She and Abby had already made a truce, Ziva knew she could never shoot Abby anyways, _DiNozzo_ _on the other hand…_

She took her already loaded gun and headed out, _Watch your back Tony, here I come…_

Ten minutes later the game was already well under way and that's when she saw her target. Tony was slowly making his way across a clearing; he was currently a very easy target.

Ziva raised her gun and fired, a second later red splattered all over Tony as he fell to the ground.

Ziva froze, _NO TONY! _Figuring that a real bullet must have gotten mixed in with the paint ones, since all her bullets were yellow, she ran to him.

He lay motionless on the ground and Ziva could feel the tears begging for release. She held them back as she continued to run as fast as she could to Tony, _I can't lose you Tony, please don't leave me!_

She reached him and knelt on the ground next to him, terrified that she would find out what she already knew—he was gone.

She decided just this once to allow herself a weakness, to let the tears flow. Before they came though, Tony sat up laughing and pulled many packages of ketchup out of his jacket.

"What's the matter Zee-vah? You didn't think you actually shot me did you?" He grinned mischievously and raised his eyebrows while waiting for an answer.

Ziva had never been more relieved, but she was also VERY mad.

She stared him in the eyes, this time anger was the power behind the stare, and she could see doubt appear in Tony's eyes. She could tell that he was feeling very unsure of himself and decided to gloat over the power, "Tony, you better not test your luck, or I promise the next bullet will not be made of paint."

She smiled at the look of fear in his eyes, threatening was fun, but she definitely had to get even for a prank like that.

Tony grinned again, although this time it was a little forced, obviously trying to cover up for his fear he simply replied, "Awww, come on Zi. You know I didn't mean anything, the ketchup/blood prank is one of the oldest ones in the book. I'm just trying to put a little bit of fun and excitement in your life."

Ziva rolled her eyes, _Why is he always saying I don't have fun, I do, I just also realize the need for seriousness sometimes. _

She decided to play along though and simply smiled sweetly, "Well, my little hairy butt I guess that I will just have to make sure that the rest of this trip is _very_ exciting for the both of us then shouldn't I?"

She saw a look of uncertainty cross his face, wondering what it was that she meant. She simply smiled, picked up her gun and walked away, taking pleasure in the fact that his eyes followed her as she left.

~~~NCIS~~~

An hour later the game was over and the agents all handed in their gear, no one was surprised to see Ziva win with Gibbs close in second.

McGee smiled, Lisa had told them all that they had the rest of the day off, so they could relax and enjoy themselves.

Gibbs went straight to his cabin, but McGee, Abby, Ziva and Tony all decided to go swimming. Tony was already changed into his swim trunks and a t-shirt when McGee came out, dressed similarly.

McGee smirked, he had a feeling that normally Tony would've left a long time ago, but right now he was not going anywhere alone with Ziva being as mad at him as she was. It's not like he was going to protect Tony, especially not from the trained assassin, although they were friends, she could still terrify him sometimes.

Tony waited, towel slung over his shoulder and smirked when he saw McGee, "Wow, someone takes a while to change doesn't he McGirl? Come on, let's go!"

McGee rolled his eyes, but he hung his towel over his shoulder and left with Tony. He was surprised to see Ziva and Abby already at the beach. McGee could feel his eyes go wide at the sight of Abby, she was wearing a black swimsuit, of course, but he'd never seen her in a swimsuit before, _Man she looks good!_ He thought to himself, and forced his eyes away from her so she wouldn't catch him staring.

He smiled, seeing Ziva in a bikini definitely had it's affect on Tony. McGee rolled his eyes, Tony's eyes were wide, he was staring and his mouth was agape.

"Hey Tony!" He practically yelled to get the older man's attention before Ziva spotted _him _staring, as much as Tony could annoy him sometimes, McGee still wanted Tony alive.

Ziva looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled, making McGee wonder what was about to happen. Ziva's smile was different than normal, she seemed a little happy, but VERY mischievous. He decided to go and talk to Abby, not wanting to know what Ziva had planned.

He took off his shirt and walked towards Abby, "Hey Abs, you gonna come swim, I think Ziva and Tony are just going to sit and stare at each other for a while anyways."

She looked up at him and smiled, he could see she was a little shocked. "McGee? Have you been working out, you've got abs!"

He smiled, thankful that she'd realized, he was trying really hard to get fit so he could live down his probie and geek reputation.

"Come on Abs, let's swim and let Ziva and Tony flirt for a while." He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "Who knows, maybe they'll finally tell each other."

McGee had to smile as Abby's eyes lit up at the thought that Tony and Ziva would finally get together and she willingly went into the water with him.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony couldn't help but stare at Ziva in her bikini, he was thankful to McGee for breaking him out of his earlier trance, but he could feel himself slowly being pulled back in. _Man she's hot! She looks great in a bikini!_

These seemed to be the only thoughts that would register in his mind at the moment, but he looked up at just the right moment and she looked up from her magazine.

He was equally dumbfounded when he looked in her eyes, but she simply smiled and said, "We are going swimming, yes? "

He nodded and smiled, she'd probably kill him if he ever told her how cute she was when she raised her voice a little on the yes.

He took off his shirt and pretended not to notice her approving glance at his muscles. "Come on Zee-vah, hurry up I want to go in before it turns dark."

Ziva simply looked at him and sighed, "You know you can go in alone, this is not kindergarten where we must use the buddy system."

Tony pleaded, "Oh come on, McGee and Abby are too busy flirting and I don't want to swim by myself, please?"

Finally Ziva gave in, _probably to stop me from whining but who cares? _Tony thought, but he didn't care when he won out.

They waded into the water and then swam until they reached Abby and McGee. Tony could feel the jealousy shoot through him when Ziva complimented McGee on his abs and asked him if he worked out. McGee nodded and looked happy at the attention he was getting, meanwhile Tony was upset that Ziva hadn't complimented him. _What's so great about McGee anyways? I work out too, but she doesn't notice me._

He controlled the thought and decided to break up the conversation by dunking Ziva under water. She fought him for a while, and he was grinning at his victory until he felt her slip away from his grip.

Assuming she was swimming away he decided to let her go, he won anyways. His smile disappeared however when Ziva failed to resurface.

McGee and Abby were too busy dunking each other and didn't notice but Tony could feel the panic seep through his veins.

He dived under the water and his heart nearly stopped when he saw Ziva laying still on the bottom of the lake.

He dove deeper and carried her up with him, but she was very limp.

Fearing the worst he made his way to shore as fast as he could, lying Ziva on the beach and praying she'd be okay.

He couldn't think properly when seeing the sight of her limp body, just lying on the sand. _Ziva! This is all my fault, what'd I dunk her for anyways? This is all my fault! Ziva please don't leave me!_

He snapped out of his thoughts and went to work, mumbling about how stupid he was being to dunk her under all the while.

By now Abby and McGee had noticed, Abby was screaming and McGee pulled her with him to shore.

He got ready to perform CPR, he leaned over her and his mouth was about an inch away from hers when she suddenly started to convulse.

Tony stumbled back in fear, unwilling to face the consequences if he didn't save her now.

He was making his way back to her when he noticed she started shaking in another way, this time with laughter.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he realized she was okay.

He grinned stupidly as she laughed and startled to chuckle himself.

Ziva smiled sweetly at him and said, "That was for the paintball prank."

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**Thank you so much for readin, and please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: I am sorry it took so long to update but my writing kept getting interupted so I couldn't write to fast. I hope that it is worth the long wait for all of you! Just so you know the pranks in the last chapter were not totally out of the blue and unrelated, but you'll have to read this chapter to figure out why. Please review, I love it when you do and I update faster too (hint hint)! Thanks for reading!

* * *

After the fake drowning, everyone decided to go back to their cabins, it was getting late anyway.

Abby hadn't said anything, but she noticed that although Tony laughed along with the others at Ziva's prank, he was very shaken up. Abby didn't think that Tony was expecting his prank to be returned, and although he handled it well when it was, Tony was terrified at the thought that Ziva might die.

She had seen something in his eyes afterwards, something that wasn't there before. Abby knew that Ziva had given him a good scare, Tony was even close to tears when she started to shake, but he swallowed them when she sat up.

Abby was just hoping that the look in Tony's eyes was finally going to turn into a more serious relationship between the two partners.

She couldn't help but smile as she made her way to bed, she was going to sleep early tonight, hoping it would make tomorrow come faster.

She was really looking forward to the next day, unwilling to wait for tomorrow to arrive so that she could see the events between Tony and Ziva develop.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva woke up early the next morning, still smiling at her revenge prank on Tony.

It felt good to get him back once in a while, and the look on his face when she started to shake was priceless, for a minute she almost felt bad--almost.

Ziva got out of bed and quickly changed into her running clothes, she then snuck quietly out of the cabin, taking great care not to wake Abby. She stretched then took off jogging, the fresh morning air feeling good on her face. She was on her way back to the cabin when Ziva heard a twig snap and she shivered, her Mossad skills instantly taking over.

She had felt a pair of eyes watching her as she left her cabin, and while she was a good fighter if her stalker had a gun she probably should've stayed inside.

_Hah! You are being ridiculous Ziva, no one is following you here, you are simply paranoid. _

She decided to keep running, but the feeling that she was being watched never left her, she saw a figure waiting for her at the next turn. She instinctively felt for her gun and realized her fatal mistake, she left it at the cabin.

Ziva was tempted to turn around, but knew better than to ever turn your back on an attacker, so she ran forward, silently preparing herself. She turned the corner and only a matter of seconds later she found herself pinning McGee to the ground.

Ziva sighed and scolded herself for her foolishness, _It's only McGee._

McGee had been a little startled when he was greeted by Ziva in this way, but when he realized she wasn't going to hurt him he smiled and got up.

He wasn't expecting to greet her like this, and it threw him a little off guard. He had gotten up early this morning knowing that Ziva would want to jog, so he met her on the trail, he had just decided against his plan and was turning around when next thing he knew he was on the ground and Ziva was on top of him.

Now that he was face to face with her, he knew that he had to go through with his plan, he just wasn't sure where to start. "I… um, Ziva, I was wondering…" He began, but he stopped when Ziva began to grin.

"Do not worry McGee, I know what you want to know."

McGee was amazed, he stared at Ziva, clearly stunned and said, "You do? But how could you know, I was…"

Ziva was still smiling when she said "I know McGee, you want to talk about Abby."

McGee's eyes bulged, was he really that easy to read when it came to Abby? He smiled shyly and Ziva nodded, "Well I could never betray Abby's trust, but I believe that she feels the same way, go for it McGee." With that Ziva began to jog again, her smiling, McGee looking confused, excited, scared, doubtful and hopeful all at once as he too left for his cabin.

~~~NCIS~~~

If you asked Tony the day went by way too fast. Since nothing was scheduled until the night, he'd slept until noon, he then showered and got ready for lunch, since he had missed breakfast. He met the rest of the team there and they'd talked, went to the girls' cabin for a while and before they knew it they had to meet Lisa at the main cabin.

He'd really enjoyed spending the day with Ziva, sitting as close to her as possible, as much as possible. He loved seeing her at work, but it was nice to be a part of her personal life too.

Now they were all getting ready to play capture the flag.

Lisa cleared her throat to get everyone's attention and began, "So, we've already set the ground rules, now for the teams, team one has a white flag and they are: Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and Special Agent Gibbs."

Tony smiled, the boss was on his team, there was no way he was going to lose, when he looked at Ziva however he wasn't so sure, it was going to be very fun catching her if she tried to capture their flag. Tony smiled at the thought, but he redirected his attention when Gibbs' hand connected with his head.

Lisa smiled at him and continued, "That would leave Team two with the red flag, made up of Agent David, Agent McGee and Ms. Scuito."

Tony rolled his eyes at the way both McGee's and Abby's eyes would subtly move to look at the other for a quick moment before they would look away once again.

_Pathetic!_ He thought, then realized that he did the same to Ziva and shut the thought off, he had to move on, he just didn't want to.

Tony sighed at the constant battle in his head and turned to Gibbs. Tony hid the flag high up in a tree where anyone would have to climb to get at it. He smiled, no one was going to get that flag without getting caught.

His sureness faded though, when he saw Ziva. She pulled on her hood from her dark sweater, making it nearly impossible to see her, as if she needed anything else to make her untraceable.

Tony ran back to the border-line where Lisa and the rest of the team was waiting. She smiled and began, "Okay, so I hope you guys all enjoy yourselves, I will be waiting in the cabin, please come see me when one team wins."

Tony and everyone else nodded, Lisa then counted down from 3 to signal the beginning of the game.

When she got to one Tony wasn't surprised to see Ziva, McGee and Abby all go on the defensive, they'd try to creep up on him later, he'd have to watch his back.

He ran slightly over the line to taunt them, but Gibbs ruined his fun when he pulled him back over the line.

Tony started to complain until he realized why, Ziva had already disappeared from his sight and while he knew she'd be watching she'd crept up beside him and almost caught him when Gibbs pulled Tony back.

Tony smirked, he could just make out Ziva's face in the moonlight, "Nice try David, but you'll have to do better than that."

To his amazement Tony didn't receive any verbal threat or menacing step towards him, Ziva simply leaned in as close as she could, immobilizing Tony as she whispered in his ear, "I do believe that's a challenge Tony, and I promise I will not let you down."

When she was finished Ziva smiled and ran into the tree line, hiding her from his sight, meanwhile Tony didn't even bother to try catching her, she had effectively made him unable to move, and it was only when Gibbs slapped his head that Tony's thoughts returned to the game.

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**So... Who do you think will win? I will try to update soon, hopefully tommorrow but I can't promise. Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: I tried to update yesterday, but I really didn't have time because all my teachers suddenly assigned A LOT of homework, but luckily today was a snowday so I could update. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter, it is a little bit on the shorter side, but it's a goodie ( i think). Anyways, I won't wreck the story and tell you anything before you read it, except please review, it really motivates me to write more and faster when you do, plus I always get a HUGE smile on my face as I read them, so please review! Thanks for reading!

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Ziva smirked, she really enjoyed teasing Tony like that. Even if he didn't love her it was nice to know that he at least found her attractive, she was laughing silently to herself at the look on Tony's face when she leaned in towards him and whispered in his ear.

She quickly ran back to hide herself in the trees, Tony was clueless but she'd have to watch Gibbs.

Ziva knew that she had the advantage, although Tony and Gibbs were real competition, they only had limited people and couldn't leave their base alone which means only one can go on the offensive, Ziva smiled at the thought.

Ziva had very efficiently hidden her flag, no one but her would ever find it.

She smiled as she crept closer to Tony and Gibbs' side. While there was an open field to separate their sides, Ziva had taken a mental note at all the small sources of coverage. Mossad had effectively taught her how to be invisible, Gibbs would be the only challenge seeing as he was a sniper, trained to detect even the smallest movement.

Ziva laughed silently, as good as Gibbs was, he wasn't going to stop her, just force her to use more caution.

She hid silently behind a large rock and snuck over the line separating the two sides. She noticed that Gibbs had gone to the front right corner and Tony to the left, then switched when they thought she wasn't looking to surprise her, _Try again boys, you'll have to do better than that._

Ziva crept into the tree line and her senses immediately picked up, she continued to creep on for a short while when she detected a small movement in the bushes to her right. She stood dead still, knowing that unless she moved no one would find her.

When the rustling went away she continued, she was sure it was only a squirrel anyways, but you could never be too cautious.

A few feet later she stopped again, sensing a presence that wasn't there before. She shivered, _Tony_. It was almost scary how well she knew him, she could even feel in her bones that it was Tony, not Gibbs, only Tony gave her this feeling.

She stopped moving but it was too late, Tony had already seen her. Ziva guessed that he was excited to have noticed the Mossad agent because he never even tried to conceal himself as she bounded towards her.

Ziva smiled, Tony was making enough racket to hide any noise, meaning she needn't worry about sound, only swiftness.

She quickly ran back a few steps, then moved silently to the left and watched as Tony ran past her, looking very angry at himself for being so foolish and letting her get away.

She snuck on and saw Gibbs, Ziva stopped moving but decided to climb a tree when he started her way.

She decided to use this height to her advantage and scanned the area for any sign of their flag. She spotted it about a hundred yards farther in. After Gibbs left she dropped soundlessly to the ground and continued on in the direction of the flag.

She saw it immediately and at first wondered if it was a trap since it was so obviously placed. REaliing that Tony had hid the flag and probably thought hiding it in a tree wouldn't need to be discreet as it was too hard to get at without being caught.

Ziva smirked, he was wrong. She noticed that Tony was watching the base of the tree a few feet away. She resorted to climbing a tree and moving silently from treetop to treetop, smirking at an oblivious Tony underneath her.

It was very tempting to tease him and throw a pinecone down, it would also distract him for a moment, but Mossad had taught Ziva the foolishness of this temptation, it would distract him for a mere second before he was alerted to her presence.

She finally reached the flag and reached for it, she then snuck a couple trees over and dropped quietly to the ground, it didn't even matter how much noise she made now, Gibbs was on the other side of the field and Tony was too far behind to catch her. She smiled and turned around to find herself face to face with Tony.

Ziva wasn't expecting this, she truly thought Tony was oblivious but muttered a Hebrew curse under her breath for her foolishness, she was too cocky and didn't bother to watch Tony, in Mossad that could've cost her her life.

Tony grinned evilly and said, "Going somewhere Sweet Cheeks? I don't think so…"

Ziva was silently searching for her escape plan while Tony had his glory speech, and she smiled when she heard him call her Sweet Cheeks, she had her plan.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony grinned, he had her, he had actually outsmarted the beautiful Mossad officer that was standing right before him.

He was really kicking himself after he so carelessly bounded towards her earlier and let her get away, but he wasn't as oblivious as she thought when she grabbed the flag. He had to admit, it was only one second where he decided to double-check that the flag was still there when he saw her with it in her hand.

She had totally crept up on him and he hadn't realized it, but after he saw her he followed her subtly, taking care not to make the same mistake as before. Then when she jumped down he knew he had her.

Tony was grinning stupidly but he didn't care, he _had _to gloat, he just had to. So he began his victory speech, "somewhere Sweet Cheeks? I don't think so…"

It was that moment that he saw a mischievous smile cross her face and a glimmer come in her eye, he was about to grab her when she momentarily pressed her lips to his and instantly ran away.

Tony stood there, immobilized. She had quite effectively stopped all sane thoughts from entering his thoughts, and he simply stared at her, shock and amazement on his face as she ran away leaving him standing there, mouth half open.

Tony finally realized what she had done, she'd purposefully stunned him to get away, and it worked. He instantly began to tear after her, he let her get away again!

Tony was getting closer to catching up to her however she crossed the line before he could reach her.

He watched in amusement while Ziva jumped up and down, clearly overjoyed that she had won. Abby and McGee heard all the commotion and ran to her to celebrate. Tony couldn't tear his eyes away from Ziva as she let her childish side show and hugged Abby while the two of them were jumping up and down.

Gibbs walked over to Tony and head slapped him, growling, "You let her get away DiNozzo."

Tony knew that the boss was a little annoyed but for once he didn't flinch when he received a head slap, he simply grinned as he watched Ziva celebrate, and he put his fingers to his lips, fondly recalling the moment she kissed him as he thought, _It was worth it.

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**Hope you enjoyed it, I promise that there will be more McAbby soon, please review!**  
_


	14. Chapter 14

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay, so I am slowly staring to get better at my upgrading time, since my last chapter was posted a day ago. Well, for all of you McAbby fans out there, you will enjoy this chapter but I couldn't resist having at least a small snippet of Tiva. So, I will not give anything away until after you have read, but I do want to ask you guys to please review. I love reading the reviews you guys give me and this story is only going to be another chapter or two (sorry) and I'd really love to get at least 100 reviews on my first fanfic, I'm getting close and I'd be estatic if I do. (Sorry if I'm asking for too much!) So anyways, please review, thanks for reading and most importantly ENJOY!  


* * *

Ziva couldn't help the childish smile that spread very quickly across her face. It felt good to beat Gibbs, and even better to beat Tony, she was never going to let him live this down. She could still picture the look of shock on his face as she kissed him, it was priceless.

To be truthful, she had kissed Tony just as much to win the game as to be able to kiss him. Hopefully she'd be able to think more clearly now that she had that out of her system. As soon as that thought entered her head though, she realized that she definitely didn't have Tony out of her system.

She could still feel his lips on hers, she smiled. Ziva turned around when she got the feeling that someone was watching her and met Tony's stare. He smirked and she blushed, it was only then that she truly realized what she'd done, _I kissed Tony!_

She looked away and wondered if things were now going to be awkward, she quite enjoyed the kiss, but Tony might not have felt the same way, then again judging by the big grin on his face…

Ziva slowly made her way to Tony, smirking to cover her nervousness.

"What is the matter Tony? You weren't fast enough to catch me were you?"

Tony smirked, "I was just enjoying watching you act so immature, it suits you." He couldn't help but break out into a full smile when Ziva's face got a little flushed, "What's the matter Zee-vah? I thi-"

But Tony was cut off by yet another head-slap from Gibbs, Ziva laughed as Tony looked innocently at Gibbs.

"What was that for?"

"Letting Ziva get our flag." Gibbs replied gruffly, hiding the small smile on his face at seeing Ziva so excited about her win, she didn't relax like this much so he wouldn't let DiNozzo tease her when she did.

Tony grinned, he knew it was his fault they lost, but he'd be glad to lose to Ziva again if she gave him one more kiss…

~~~NCIS~~~

Abby shrieked with pleasure, _THEY WON! SHE BEAT GIBBS AND TONY! _

_Well, to be fair Ziva did all the work but still…_

Abby couldn't contain her amusement as she jumped up and down, she'd already hugged Ziva and she turned to McGee.

She yelled "TIMMY WE WON!" as she ran towards him and gave him a big hug while jumping up and down. She was so caught up in the moment that she gave McGee a quick peck on the cheek, but that innocent kiss still had an affect on both of them.

Abby stopped jumping and took a step away from McGee, a blush spreading across her face while McGee also blushed and cleared his throat. He was wanted to tell her how he felt, but he couldn't get the words out so he simply smiled.

Abby smiled back at him and they stood there in awkward silence until they saw Lisa approaching them.

McGee was thankful for Lisa's interruption, he was just about to break down and tell her, but to be honest he really wasn't ready yet.

McGee smiled at Abby and for a few long moments he couldn't help but get lost in her beautiful green eyes. He finally forced himself to tear his eyes away from her and listen to Lisa, who was congratulating them on their win.

"Good job Team 2! You may all go back to your cabins and relax until tomorrow when you can meet me at the main cabin at 9, see you then!"

~~~NCIS~~~

The next morning came much too quick for McGee. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, he kept thinking about the kiss Abby had given him. He never would've thought that anyone could ever drive him this crazy over a simply kiss on the cheek!

McGee knew that Abby wasn't just "anyone" though, she was special. She was unlike any woman he'd ever met before. She was funny, sweet and beautiful, just one look in her green eyes could hypnotise him for hours.

McGee was trying to get over her, telling himself that she didn't feel the same way, but he wasn't being very successful, he thought back to what Ziva said to him that morning, _"I'd go for it McGee."_

McGee didn't know what to think. It terrified him to think that she didn't return his feelings, but after the kiss today, he realized that he couldn't live much longer without telling her. He made his decision right then, he had to tell her, and he had to tell her today.

McGee got up, willing the day to come faster so that he could talk to Abby. He'd held this in for much too long, and now that he'd decided to tell her, he needed to do it before he lost his nerve. McGee showered and got dressed, all the while trying to steady his steadily rising nerves. It was eight o'clock when he decided to go to her cabin. He wouldn't tell her there of course, but he'd convince her to get ready and walk with him, he'd tell her then.

He was heading out the door at the same time Tony got out of bed looking very tired. McGee was a little concerned at the worn-out look on Tony's face, but he decided not to say anything, he didn't have much time before breakfast and he needed to talk to Abby.

When McGee arrived at the girl's cabin he knocked and was surprised to find Abby open the door, fully ready. She looked tired too and he instantly worried about her, "Are you okay Abs?"

Abby looked just as surprised to see him there, but nodded and told him not to worry.

McGee stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say next. The two of them stood there silently, both waiting for the other to talk first.

Abby finally broke the silence, "Do you want to come in?"

McGee blushed, he'd just been standing there! "Where's Ziva?"

Abby smiled, "She's in the shower, but she just got in if that's why you came here."

He thought Abby sounded a little disappointed when she said this, and he instantly regretted bringing Ziva up.

McGee stuttered over his next words, trying desperately to find the right ones. "NO! I um… I mean, no I didn't come to talk to Ziva, I came to talk to you. I was just wondering, this may take a while, do you wanna take a walk while I explain?"

McGee waited, the few seconds where she just stood there, not responding seemed like hour, but he couldn't turn back now.

He was sure that she was going to turn him down, he was searching for an excuse when, to his surprise, she nodded. "Let me just grab my coat."

Abby bounced to get her coat, and came back smiling, more like the Abby he knew, not the silent Abby he was talking to only moments ago.

He smiled back at her and they began walking. McGee instantly regretted asking her to walk with him, before maybe Ziva would've interrupted them and saved him, now there was no way out, he had to tell her.

McGee didn't know where to start, he'd been hiding these feelings for her for so long that it now seemed just as hard to tell them as it was to keep them secret.

He decided that he just had to start before he lost his nerve so he began, "Abby…"

Abby turned to look McGee in the eyes when he began in such a serious tone. His heart sped up as he continued, "Abby, I need to tell you something. For years now I, I've loved being your friend." He saw a disappointed look in her eyes but refused to stop now.

"I love seeing you in the lab everyday, I love seeing you after work with the team, I love that feeling I get when we're working together and… I love being your friend, but especially over the past few months I've come to realize that although you really are my best friend, and don't get me wrong I love our friendship but I've come to realize that being your friend isn't enough. Abigail Scuito, I can't hold it in any longer, I love you. I've loved you from the first time I saw you. I love everything about you, I love the way your face lights up whenever you get a caf-pow, or how…"

McGee knew he was rambling but he had to keep talking to fill the awkward silence until she either fulfilled his dreams or broke his heart. He took a deep breath and was about to continue but was cut off when Abby's lips covered his.

McGee had kissed girls before, but it'd never been felt with so much feeling and power, other kisses never made him realize that he'd walk thousands of miles just to get one more kiss like that. He recovered from his initial shock and began kissing her back. He pulled her closer to him and they finally broke apart, grinning wider than ever before.

"I love you too, Timmy."

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Okay, so you can now see why I said it was a McAbby chapter. I noticed that I'd gotten less and less McAbby lately so I decided it had to come back with a bang. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked it and please review! :)


	15. Chapter 15

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey guys, I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but exams are coming up and we have a lot of final projects so I haven't had a lot of time to talk. Anyways, I appreciate your patience and tried to make it up to you with a longer chapter (My longest one yet.) So I hope it was worth the wait, I really hope you enjoy it and please remember to review and let me know how I'm doing. Enjoy!

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Abby kissed McGee one more time on the cheek before they walked hand in hand into the main cabin.

They went straight to Gibbs, Tony and Ziva who were already eating breakfast.

Ziva was the first to notice, she looked up to greet them and she smiled when she saw their entwined fingers. "So I guess this means no more surprises for me on my jogs, right McGee?"

McGee blushed, and nodded quickly, but Abby dropped his hand and looked curiously at Ziva. "What do you mean Ziva, what surprise?"

McGee was blushing furiously and Ziva smiled, deciding to tell Abby herself so McGee wouldn't have to.

"Well you see Abby, it seems that McGee wasn't sure whether you returned his feelings, so he woke up _very_ early yesterday and met me during my jogging route to ask me how you feel about him."

Tony grinned, "Wow McLame, you had to ask her friend, how high school-ish of you."

McGee's face continued to grow redder and redder as everyone's attention was drawn to him. He sighed knowing that they'd never let him live this down and he held his breath when Abby looked at him, shocked.

McGee braced himself for the worst, fearing what she'd say next, but was pleasantly surprised when Abby simply gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "McGee that's _so _sweet!"

~~~NCIS~~~

McGee smiled and looked from Ziva to Tony to Gibbs, "So I guess we don't even have to tell you that we're together."

Ziva got up to congratulate them, as did Tony and Gibbs. Ziva gave Abby a hug and a "I told you so" grin. Then she turned to McGee and gave him a hug too.

Tony knew that he was being ridiculous but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of McGee. _Woah! Jealous of McGee? _

Tony grimaced, he really did love Ziva, there was no other way to explain the shot of anger that swept through his veins as he saw Ziva hug McGee, even though it was only to congratulate the younger agent on his new found relationship with their favourite scientist.

Tony watched as Ziva broke apart from McGee and he couldn't help but smile at her childish grin as she winked at McGee and gave him the same "I told you so" look she'd just given Abby.

Tony silently wondered how much Ziva had to do with Abby and McGee's confessions, but he realized it was going to be just one more amazing quality about her that she'd never share with him.

He congratulated Abby and McGee, then stood in silence as he watched when it was Gibbs' turn to congratulate them.

Gibbs stepped up to Abby and gave her a hug, saying "Congratulations Abby, he better not give you any troubles, and if he does, tell me, I'll take care of it."

Tony was a little amused at McGee's nervous look as Gibbs faced him, his face serious. "And McGee... You hurt her, and you've got me to answer to."

McGee nodded and replied, "I don't plan to boss."

Gibbs smirked and said "One last thing McGee… it's about time."

With that Gibbs patted McGee on the shoulder and walked away.

McGee and Abby went to get their breakfast as Tony and Ziva sat back down at the table.

Tony looked up from his pancakes to see Ziva. He couldn't help but grin as he watched her eat, it was amazing just how fascinated he was with her, he even scared himself sometimes when he realized how obsessed he was with her. She was the only woman he'd ever met that could make him smile from eating a pancake.

She looked up to find him staring at her and he simply smiled, "So just how much of a role did you play in Abby and McGee's relationship?" He asked.

Ziva simply shrugged and said, "I only made clear to them what was clear to everyone else, how someone can miss anything so obvious is beyond me." She smiled, and Tony couldn't help but be amazed at the way she made everything she did seem so simple.

He stared at her in amazement and opened his mouth to say something when Abby and McGee returned.

They sat down across from each other and the looks they gave each other made Tony roll his eyes, he was about to say something when Ziva kicked him underneath the table.

One look at her face made it clear that she wanted him to leave them alone and enjoy their new relationship, Tony reluctantly held his tongue, deciding that Abby and McGee had waited for this moment long enough, and should get to enjoy it at least a little before he teased them.

~~~NCIS~~~

McGee smiled to himself, he never thought it was possible for anyone to be as happy as he was right now. Even though he'd dream about being with her, actually knowing that Abby returned his feelings was better than he ever imagined.

He and Abby had decided to go for a walk after breakfast, unfortunately Tony waited until after Ziva had left and announced that he would join them. _So much for any romance in that…_

Abby didn't seem to mind though, she handled it very well McGee thought, and he couldn't help but love her that little bit more.

It was easy to see that Abby was a little disappointed to learn that Tony was coming with them, but she covered it up with a smile. Eventually she had driven Tony back to the cabins early with her excessive talking about her and McGee's' new relationship.

McGee couldn't help but smile at the way she rambled on, he was glad to know that she loved him as much as he loved her, if that was even possible.

Abby kept talking, completely unaware of the way he was watching her every move, and eventually he couldn't help but silence her with a kiss.

Abby was shocked, but quickly recovered and returned the kiss with enthusiasm. They broke apart when they heard Tony calling their names.

McGee groaned, why Tony was so intent on ruining his time together with Abby he didn't know, all he did know was that if Tony ever did get with Ziva, he'd be ready to return the favour.

Tony came barrelling through the bushes and saw them, "I'm not interrupting am I?" He asked with a grin.

Abby was blushing, and McGee could feel that his face was turning a little red too, but he simply stared at Tony and asked, "Something we can do for you Tony?"

Tony grinned and shrugged, "Just thought I'd tell you guys that we're supposed to be at the main cabin in five minutes, that is if you two can keep your hands off each other long enough to make it there." He grinned and turned to go back to the cabins, McGee thought of saying something else, but decided against it, seeing as how it would be impossible to miss his flushed face.

Abby looked up at him and smiled, "Ready to go?"

McGee nodded and they walked to the cabins together, hand in hand.

They got there just in time, and Lisa greeted them all with a smile. "So, I hope that you guys are all enjoying your stay here, it's too bad that you have to leave in only two days." She looked from person to person and was met by smiles and nods so she continued, "However, we do plan to make the most out of the time that you guys have left. Okay, today we are going to play manhunt. We've already pre-determined who will be "it" first and decided to ask Miss David since she obviously has outstanding skills in this area, as we've all seen from your short time with us."

She smiled at Ziva who smiled back, taking pleasure in the fact that for once people were seeing her abilities as talents, not assassination skills.

Everyone walked outside together and McGee couldn't help but notice the way Tony's eyes followed Ziva as she left the room. One thing that surprised McGee though was that Tony didn't stare at her butt like he did all other ladies, he always stared at her eyes. _Well, always…_ McGee thought, that was going a little too far seeing as Tony's eyes were often seen looking Ziva over, but she was the only woman who would get Tony to stare at her face.

McGee shook his head at how obvious his two friends were, and why they didn't realize each other's feelings when everybody else did.

McGee noticed how hypocritical he was being however when he found himself staring at Abby and realized that he acted the same way around her, but at least he admitted his feelings.

_Tony doesn't know what he's missing out on._ McGee thought to himself as he grabbed Abby's hand before walking out the door with her.

He could practically hear Tony roll his eyes, but for once McGee didn't care what Tony said, he had Abby and that was all that mattered.

~~~NCIS~~~

_20…_

_19…_

_18…_

Ziva closed her eyes and counted to twenty as everyone ran away; fighting the temptation to open her eyes and watch as Tony slowly disappeared from her sight.

She couldn't help but smile as she remembered talking to him after he returned from the walk. She had suspected what he was up to, but Tony had left with Abby and McGee while she went to the bathroom and she couldn't go out to the woods and drag him back with her, that would simply embarrass Abby and McGee. So she had simply waited for him to return, and when he did so alone, she confronted him. Ziva had nearly burst out laughing at the look on his face when she stood about a centimetre away from him and threatened to use him as an experiment for her famous, "18 ways to kill someone with a paperclip" if he didn't leave Abby and McGee alone.

Tony had simply gulped and nodded, making Ziva smile as she walked away.

_2…_

_1…_

"Steady or not here I come!" Ziva shouted at the top of her lungs and ran in the direction of the yell that replied to hers, "Ready, Ziva. _READY_ or not here I come!"

Ziva smiled to herself, that was just too easy, yet she knew that Tony couldn't help but correct her English, even if it meant giving his position away.

Ziva quietly continued towards the direction from which Tony's voice had come, shaking her head at how obvious he could be sometimes, _and too secretive at others…_

She heard a twig snap behind her and whipped around, scolding herself when she realized it was only a squirrel, _So much for my Mossad training, that mistake could've cost me my life in Israel._

Looking around for Tony, she noticed a black pig-tail sticking out from a bush, _Abby._

Ziva smiled to herself and wondered if she should give the forensic scientist a little slack, she was the only one there who wasn't an agent after all.

Ziva was about to turn her back when she realized that her life in America was making her weak, she never would've let anyone away before she came here. Ziva knew that she was a changed woman, and in a way she was happy that she was, she didn't really want to be the emotionless Ziva she was for years, or at least pretended to be.

If she was being honest with herself, Ziva had to admit that she never was as emotionless as she led everyone to believe, but her ability to keep a straight face and carry on no matter how heavy the burden would often fool people, the only people who could ever see through that façade was her family.

Ziva smiled to herself as she realized just how true that statement was, her co-workers had so quickly become so much more, the family that she'd lost after her sister Tali's death.

Even thinking about Tali sent daggers flying into Ziva, no matter what her father told her about needing to move on, or how the American's always said that time heals everything, Ziva knew that was a lie.

It had been many years since Tali's death, but Ziva still felt the pain as if it was only a day ago, she still felt the guilt as if she had killed her herself.

Many people had told Ziva that Tali's death wasn't her fault, that she was a good fighter and her sister's death shouldn't make her soft, but Ziva never believed them.

Maybe she had gotten soft after Tali, but anyone who wouldn't suffer from such a great loss is not truly human. At least that's what she told herself.

Ziva had always tried to tell herself that she wasn't weak, she was human, which despite what her father thought, she believed was a strength in itself, it was always Tali's strongest quality.

The way she would have compassion when Ziva couldn't muster any, to Ziva that made Tali the strongest person she knew.

Ziva had taken it really hard after Tali's death, she would walk around like a ghost, refusing to accept her best friends death. Tali haunted Ziva's dreams, calling out desperately for help when Ziva couldn't offer her any.

Ziva decided shortly after Tali's death that she would never get close to anyone ever again. She swore to herself that she would never feel the immense pain she felt when she lost her sister. For many years Ziva held herself to that oath, then she came to America.

Ziva had come to America trying to protect the brother she ended up killing, and it was only when she saw her brother lying there in his own blood that her thoughts of Tali returned, she was nothing like Ari, but she was related in blood, so when Ari died, it was like Tali had to die again too.

Ziva had tried desperately to rebuild her wall and hide her emotions after that, but she never could. She wasn't sure if it was because of Tali, and the way that she once again haunted Ziva's dreams, or if it was something else, something that had caused a change in her.

Ziva now knew that the latter was correct, as much as she still missed Tali, it was Tony that had allowed her to finally let her emotions run free. It was Tony who had released her from her cell, he'd saved her, yet Ziva wasn't even sure how.

It could've been his smile, or his laugh, or just his fun-loving nature, she'd never met a true fun-loving person before Tony, but she guessed it was probably the way that he was the first person who could make her feel truly safe.

He was the first person that she could relax around, it was probably the same reason that she fell in love with him, and the same reason that kept her from telling him.

She'd never met anyone like Tony before, and as much as she loved the rest of the team, there was something special about Tony. He was unique, different from all the other men in her life, but Ziva was too terrified that she would loose what she had with Tony if she told him how she felt.

She was terrified that he didn't feel the same way and that if she told him, their special relationship would be ruined forever, and Ziva knew that she couldn't take it if that happened. As much as she liked to put up a strong front, Tony was her weakness, yet he didn't even know it.

Ziva knew that what she had with Tony was amazing, and that if he ever returned her feelings it could get even better yet, but she'd been hurt so many times in life that she couldn't take the risk.

She couldn't risk having him break her, because this time she wasn't sure if she'd be able to pick up the pieces. That was why she waited, she didn't dare tell him her feelings, so she waited for him to confess his, but since that never happened, Ziva had her answer as to how he felt.

Ziva was brought back to reality when Abby stirred in the bushes, sending animals scattering and leaves falling. Ziva rolled her eyes, she couldn't let Abby get away now. Abby was stubborn enough to not want special treatment, so Ziva couldn't pass up this obvious of an opportunity. She quickly moved on and then doubled back, catching an unsuspecting Abby as she was halfway out of the bush, in no condition to run.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony watched as Ziva smiled and caught Abby, he had seen that Ziva was going to let Abby go, until she made herself so obvious, and it made Tony smile. _Our merciless ninja is more compassionate than she'll admit…_

Tony noticed a squirrels nest that was close to him in the tree where he was hiding. It was filled with nuts and couldn't help himself. He picked one up and threw it around Ziva, not so close as to hit her, but close enough to let her know that Abby wasn't the only one with her.

He was surprised when Ziva looked directly at him and said, "Yes Tony, I know you are there, so do you want to do this the easy way where you climb down or do you want to make a pathetic attempt to run away, knowing all the while that I will catch you."

Tony sighed, he should've known better. He pretended that he was going to go along with her plan, but he began running as soon as he hit the ground. Ziva tore after him, but he hid behind a tree and lost her.

_HA! Looks like Ziva's losing her touch. _He realized that this gave him bragging rights and turned around to sneak off, but he wasn't expecting Ziva to be standing right behind him.

Tony jumped and was about to run away again, this time more out of fear than anything else, but Ziva's hand on his shoulder calmed him and let him know he was caught.

Ziva simply smiled, "They always try the hard way."

She grinned at the way he rolled his eyes, worst of all was the fact that she had not only out run him in capture the flag, but outsmarted him now. Tony groaned, he was never going to hear the end of this one.

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Hey! I hope you enjoyed it, it wasn;t my favourite chapter, but I had to get back into writing the story again. I plan to have another chapter up soon, please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey guys, I was SO happy to reach my goal of 100 reviews (thank you all SO much) that I not only updated faster, I even decided to make the story a little bit longer. You guys really inspired me to write more, so thank you SO much. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I want to thank you all for reading and for your reviews, I really do love reading them! Enjoy!  


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It only took about five minutes for Ziva, Abby and Tony finally caught McGee, and another ten before they caught Gibbs. Tony was still amazed at how quick and efficient Ziva was. It was if she knew exactly where Gibbs and McGee were, she tracked them both very quickly, then caught them almost as fast, and she did all of this while barely making a sound.

Tony had watched her do it all, silently marvelling at how wonderful she was.

He stared at her, laughing at something Abby had said, he couldn't help but smile himself. Ziva didn't allow herself to relax and let loose much, but he really enjoyed watching her when she did. He'd love her even if she didn't relax, but it made him happy to see her enjoy herself and let her guard down.

Tony shook his head as Ziva walked up to him, he was in for a teasing now. She smiled, and Tony couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was, even if she was about to taunt him.

He grinned and decided to say something before she could, "So Zee-vah? Are you happy now that I let you win?"

Ziva instantly stopped smiling and she placed herself less than an inch away from Tony when she said, "You did not let me win, I beat you fair and scare."

Tony grinned, "Square, Ziva, fair and square."

Ziva simply rolled her eyes, "Same difference, either way I beat you."

Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Gibbs head-slapped him before he could.

"She beat ya DiNozzo, accept it."

Tony looked to his boss, wondering what'd happened to put him in such a bad mood today. He figured it must be the fact that Ziva caught him so quickly, and made a mental note to not do anything that would really annoy Gibbs, not when he's in a mood like this.

Ziva threw him a triumphant smile over her shoulder, and Tony couldn't help but grin back.

He watched her walk away, then turned and walked towards Abby and McGee. He was opening his mouth to tease them when there was a piercing pain in his ear. Tony knelt to the ground in pain and looked up to see Ziva smirking, "As you were saying Tony?"

Tony got up and dusted off his knees, glaring at Ziva all the while. "I did nothing wrong!"

Ziva only smirked, "But you were going to." Tony looked at Abby and McGee who were walking off together, hand in hand.

Tony looked at Ziva and she had to hold back her laughter upon seeing the look on her face. She couldn't help but notice how much he looked like a scolded puppy. She felt her anger disappear, but refused to let Tony see that.

She noticed that he had begun to slowly walk towards Abby and McGee. _He is persistant! But why is he so content on ruining Abby and McGee's relationship? I thought they were friends…_

Ziva walked up to Tony and saw him flinch, smiling at the power she had over him, Ziva grinned wickedly, but decided to show him a little mercy. So instead of inflicting physical pain, she simply dragged him away towards the cabins.

"Awww… Come on Zee-vah, I was just going to have a little fun!"

Ziva rolled her eyes as she let go of Tony's arm. "Why is it that you are trying so hard to ruin Abby and McGee's relationship?"

Tony, of course, assumed a look of total innocence, "What?! Me? No! I simply wanted to talk to my pals!" Tony gave her his famous "DiNozzo grin."

Ziva rolled her eyes, still wondering why it was that Tony was so interested in disturbing Abby and McGee's relationship, then it hit her like a ton of bricks. The pain was evident in her eyes as she said simply, "You love Abby."

Ziva knew that she was right at the way Tony's eyes bulged and his face got red, she felt her heart sink as she watched him, and mentally scolded herself for ever believing that he loved her back.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony couldn't contain his surprise at hearing Ziva say that he loved Abby. Tony's eyes grew wide with surprise, and his face grew quickly red from amusement, he was fighting back his laughter until he noticed something in Ziva's eyes, _pain?_

Tony shook his head, that couldn't be it, why would Ziva be hurt to learn that he loved Abby? Why did Ziva think that he loved Abby?

Then it dawned on him, he was following her around like a lost puppy. Tony grimaced at the fact that he'd been so obvious, but he wasn't following Abby because he loved her, but he thought he might give McGee's 'ask a friend' thing a try.

Ziva trusted Abby, and she'd be the one person she'd tell if she felt the same way as he did.

Tony could see that Ziva was about to leave, the pain still evident in her eyes and he realized that he'd just been standing there, not answering her.

Ziva turned around, but Tony stopped her, "Wait, Ziva, it's not what you think."

He started but couldn't get Ziva to stop walking. Tony mentally kicked himself as he ran after Ziva, he stood in front of her so she couldn't move.

Ziva began to turn back again, but Tony grabbed her shoulders and made her face him. "Ziva…"

He couldn't finish though, but one look in Ziva's eyes stopped him. It was now only anger that filled her eyes, as much as he should be fearing for his life, Tony's heart was soaring, she wouldn't care if he loved Abby if she didn't love him.

He opened his mouth to talk, but Ziva cut him off, "TONY!" She lowered her voice to barely a whisper, all her anger was gone, and it was purely anguish and disappointment in her voice now. "Tony how could you love her."

Tony grinned, she did love him.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva flinched at the site of Tony's grin, he thought it was funny, it was all a game to him. It was funny that she found out that he loved Abby, not her. Ziva's heart fell as she looked into his eyes, she didn't know what to do however, so she covered her pain up with a lie. Instead of telling him how she felt like she knew she should, Ziva covered it up with a lie.

"Tony I cannot believe you love her!" She noticed that his grin got even wider, and the knife that was slowly making its' way to her heart cut deeper. She winced at the pain, she'd been punched by powerful men, shot at and even caught in an explosion, but none of them hurt as much as now. "Tony, McGee loves her! You can't love her, she loves him, not you! If you get caught up in this mess it will only end in heartbreak for the two of them. I am your partner, trust me, you should ignore these feelings and move on."

Ziva knew she was being selfish, telling Tony to move on so that he might finally develop feelings for her. Ziva shook her head, as much from the pain of knowing for sure that Tony didn't love her as much as for her disappointment in herself.

She couldn't help it though, Tony held some sort of spell over her, she felt dizzy around him, light-headed, she was surprised she hadn't gotten one of them injured on the job yet. Ziva knew she shouldn't interfere with Tony's love life, the last time she did that was with Jeanne, and it ended badly for both of them, still she couldn't help herself from adding one more line for good measure. "Do not tell Abby, I don't know if McGee will ever forgive you." _Or if I could ever find happiness again. _

Ziva didn't say the last part though, she didn't dare. She knew for a fact now that Tony didn't love her, she had found out much more than she wanted to know in a very odd way.

Ziva straightened her back and tried to ignore the pain that was cutting through her.

She turned away in shame, shame for falling in love with her partner, shame for not having him love her back, shame for not being able to move on, shame for being weak.

She began to walk away but Tony chased after her again, "Ziva wait!"

She turned around and stared him in the eyes as she said, "I've been waiting long enough."

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So? What'd you think? I reached my goal of 100 reviews, but feel free to review more if you want to :p. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!


	17. Chapter 17

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey guys, I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but exams are coming up and we have a lot of final projects so I haven't had a lot of time to wrtie my fanfic. Anyways, I appreciate your patience and I really hope that you like this chapter, I will not give anything away about it, but I do think that a few of you might be having second thoughts about this story after reading it. Please don't hate me, and remember that the story is not over. Enjoy!  


* * *

Tony lay on the couch, not really paying attention to the TV, his mind wandering back to the conversation he'd had with Ziva earlier today.

After she'd walked away, Tony had stood frozen in his place. He couldn't move, Ziva's words were echoing in his ear. _"I've been waiting long enough."_

What did she mean? Tony seemed to be suspended from reality, he was completely unaware of everything of what was happening around him as he pondered what it was that she meant.

It wasn't the first time that Ziva had mentioned having to wait for someone this trip, but this was the first time that she seemed to be directing it at him.

Tony's thoughts swirled around him as he tried to figure out if she meant anything by it, or if he was simply imagining things. He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. He had almost ran after Ziva again, but realized that he needed some time to think about everything so he'd simply watched her walk away.

Tony had always thought that he could read people well, but whenever he thought he had Ziva all figured out, she would do or say something that would send him into confusion as he tried to understand what she meant.

Sometimes Tony wondered if she did it on purpose, tried to throw him off guard a little, but he realized that it was just who she was. She was Ziva, beautiful, strong, intelligent, and unpredictable.

He'd never admit it but her unpredictability was one of the first things that drew Tony to her. She was like no other woman that he'd ever met before, she was incredibly beautiful, could hold her own, and always kept him on his toes. He was always alert when around her, and yet she was the only one he could truly relax with. He loved her, and he was desperately hoping that she felt the same way.

Tony remembered the way he had watched as Ziva disappeared from his sight, knowing that he'd never met anyone so special before.

Even just seeing her walk away from him made him feel at a loss of her presence. He almost smiled at how pathetic he was, it was sad that even just watching her walk away could make him feel so lonely, like his whole world had just left.

It was then that Tony realized that was because Ziva _was_ his world. He loved her with all of his heart and he couldn't live without her. No matter what came his way, he would be okay as long as she was by his side.

Tony forced himself to look at reality and realized that this was all true. He was nothing without Ziva, he needed her, he _loved_ her.

Now that he'd finally admitted it to himself, the only thing left to do was tell Ziva.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva was walking out of her room when Abby came in smiling. Ziva simply smirked as she was certain the smile had something to do with the younger agent now walking away from their cabin.

"Nice walk?" She asked, and noticed a slight blush on Abby's face. "It's okay Abby, you two have admitted your feelings to each other now, there is no need to be embarrassed."

Abby realized that Ziva was right and immediately began chattering about her walk with McGee. "Oh Ziva, I don't think I can love him any more!"

_I know how that feels, _Ziva thought to herself, but quickly shook her head and thought about the present situation, this was Abby's time.

"I mean, he was SO sweet today…" Abby continued not even noticing the way Ziva's thoughts had trailed off. "He even told me that I had the most beautiful eyes and that it was just one of the very many qualities he loves about me!"

It was impossible to miss the happiness in Abby's voice and Ziva smiled, happy that her friend could have the one thing she desired most… a mutual love.

She couldn't help her thoughts from drifting to Tony and his wonderful smile, enchanting green eyes and soothing voice. She brought herself out of her thoughts just in time to hear Abby ask her a question.

"Oh! I've been going on and on about my day with McGee I didn't even bother to ask you how your day went!"

Ziva frowned when remembering her earlier conversation with Tony, why did she ever say that she'd been waiting for so long?

Ziva realized that Tony probably knew everything now. She winced at the pain when she realized Tony knew how she felt yet didn't even try and talk to her about it, _He wants to pretend these feelings don't exists and if that is what he wants, that is what I want too._

Ziva knew it was a lie but that was the only way to get over the pain, by lying to herself.

Abby brought Ziva back to the present when she commented, "Well?" Ziva looked at Abby with nothing but innocence, and Abby rolled her eyes. "Oh come on! You're seriously going to make me ask? Fine! What were you and Tony doing after you left capture the flag together?"

Now it was Ziva's turn to roll her eyes, "Nothing Abby…"

"Oh yeah? It didn't look like nothing the way Tony was looking at you when you left."

Ziva could feel her hope rising as Abby went on about how Tony was drooling over her and she kept staring at him, but forced herself back to reality when she remembered their conversation. "I only told him to leave you and McGee alone."

Abby's face visibly fell, the former happiness now gone, disappointment taking it's place. Her face lit up again, however, when she replied, "Well, you two were still checking each other out, there's still hope! So are we going to have another co-worker couple soon?"

Ziva's eyes widened as Abby said the words she only dreamed would be true, but she wasn't prepared and she simply said, "I do not have any feelings for Tony, he is simply a co-worker Abby, nothing more." Then she left, leaving a very disappointed Abby in the room behind her.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony smiled to himself as he got ready. Luckily, he had made sure to pack a variety of clothes, including a nice shirt and tie with dress pants.

He wasn't sure why he'd packed them, but he was currently quite thankful that he did.

It was a _very _hard decision to come to, but Tony knew that he had to make up his mind. This inner turmoil was slowly destroying him and he knew that he had to do something.

He couldn't take much more of this, Tony had debated himself for a long time, and finally he came to a conclusion, he had to tell her.

Tony combed his hair one more time, trying to make sure everything was perfect before he met her.

Tony stopped to look at himself, wondering what she would say. He knew that the rest of his life was going to be defined by this up and coming moment. Whether Ziva broke his heart or fulfilled his dreams, something was going to change.

This fear of change and rejection was actually the main reason why Tony hadn't told Ziva earlier, but the look she gave him earlier when she thought he loved Abby let him know it all.

He straightened his tie and cleared his throat, trying to calm his anxious nerves before he met her.

Tony snuck out of his room, making sure McGee didn't notice him leave, Tony wanted to make sure Ziva was the first to know, and if she didn't feel the same way, the only one to know.

He crept outside and began slowly walking towards her cabin, his attempts to calm his nerves failing miserably. He was about ten feet away from her cabin door when he realized he couldn't go any farther.

Tony turned around, disgusted at himself and his lack of courage; he couldn't even face his own partner! Tony realized however, that Ziva was so much more than just his partner, she was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he just couldn't risk losing what he had with her in hopes of possibly achieving something more.

Tony stopped dead in his tracks, although even the thought of telling Ziva how he felt made it hard to breathe and would make his heart accelerate to such a rate that Tony thought his heart would pump right out of his chest, he had to try.

He didn't want to loose what he had with her, and it certainly was a risk, but it was a risk he had to take in order for him to ever have the chance of finding the true happiness only she could bring him.

He took a deep breathe and slowly made his way to her cabin, he was on the porch when his whole life shattered into nearly a million pieces as he heard her say the words he'd been dreading hearing, "I do not have any feelings for Tony, he is simply a co-worker Abby, nothing more."

Tony grabbed his heart, hoping to lessen the pain that seemed to be slicing him in half. It was to no help though, and he simply staggered down the stairs, trying desperately to un-hear what Ziva had just said.

It was only a few minutes later that he had finally made it back to his own cabin and crept into his room, wishing that he could simply forget Ziva's words.

Tony had never felt any pain as real as this. His heart still felt as if it was being torn in two when he crawled in bed, pulling the covers over his head so no one could see his tears.

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**I'm sorry! It gets happier again, please review and thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey! So I updated this one pretty fast, I am sorry for the end of the last one, but you probably won't like this one anybetter. I won't give anything away, but just remember, the story is not over yet, and I'll try not to make you wait much longer. It gets happier soon! Enjoy!  


* * *

Abby threw off the bed covers and jumped up, ready to meet the day when her alarm clock went off. Ever since ever McGee told her he loved her, she'd had a new look on life, and she was even perkier than normal.

She hopped in the shower, she and McGee had already decided to get ready early and take another walk.

It only took her a total of fifteen minutes before she was ready and heading out the door. She walked to the spot she and McGee decided to meet and saw him waiting for her, a bouquet of a dozen black roses in hand.

"McGee! They're beautiful!" Abby gave him a huge hug and a passionate kiss before pulling apart, "Where'd you get them?"

McGee kissed her one more time before smiling and saying, "I noticed on the way up here that there was a flower shop in town and Tony left the car keys on the table."

Abby grinned, she was lucky to have anyone as special as McGee who would wake up early to get her a bunch of black roses, her favourite flower.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." McGee replied with a smile.

Abby smiled back, but McGee noticed a slight frown flitter across her features before her smile returned. "What's the matter Abs?"

Abby shook her head, unsure of whether or not she should tell him. She decided that she could tell McGee anything and replied, "It's just that I'm really happy we finally got together…"

She noticed a nervous smile cross McGee's face as he wondered if she was breaking up with him on the second day of their new relationship. "No, McGee, I love you it's nothing like that." She smiled and he returned the favour, relief flooding his features.

Abby continued, "It's just that I wish Tony and Ziva could be as happy as we are. I know they love each other, and they're missing out on so much because they're too scared to say anything!"

McGee smiled and hugged Abby, the way she was always concerned for everyone else's happiness before her own made him love her even more, if that was possible. "Abby, are you sure that they love each other?"

McGee knew he'd said the wrong thing when Abby's head snapped up from its' resting place on his chest and looked him in the eyes, alarm evident in hers. "What are you saying McGee, you can't turn your back on me now, don't tell me you haven't noticed their chemistry, please help me!"

McGee tried to hide his laughter at her exaggerated reaction, "Don't worry Abbs, I'm behind you all the way, I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page. There's no way I'm turning my back on you."

Abby smiled and the look in her eyes softened as she gazed into McGee's deep blue eyes, "Thank you Timmy, I love you."

"I love you too Abby, now let's see what we can do for Ziva and Tony."

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony groaned as he pulled himself out of bed, this was going to be a long day. He wasn't sure how he was going to face Ziva without giving everything away.

Even just thinking about the last nights' events made him feel sick to his stomach. She held some serious power over him when even the thought of her not loving him made him feel as if his heart was being slowly torn apart.

If it was any other time and he wasn't hurting so much he would've laughed at the irony, before Ziva he'd be terrified to learn that anyone loved him, now it was the thing he wanted most.

He took a shower and tried to get as much of the smell of alcohol off his breathe, it seemed to be the only thing that would help his pain last night. Tony thought that maybe if he was lucky and drank enough, he'd forget what she said, only he wasn't so fortunate and now he had to deal with a slight hangover.

He wasn't sure if the headache was from the alcohol or his heartbreak, but he decided to blame it on the alcohol as the second option was too painful to think about.

Tony looked in the mirror and realized that other than the slightly red-rimmed eyes he looked pretty much the same.

He threw on a t-shirt and pair of old jeans, realizing that if Ziva didn't care for him he really didn't need to dress up. Despite that fact, he still combed his hair so that he wouldn't receive a head-slap when Gibbs saw him like this.

He decided not to go to the main cabin for breakfast, seeing as Ziva would be there and headed towards the mini-kitchen in their cabin.

Although he'd thought this was unnecessary when he first arrived, seeing as all meals would be supplied in the cabin, he was glad to have it now. Tony was surprised at the amount of food they'd been supplied with, but decided on a simple bowl of cereal with milk and a glass of orange juice.

He sat down at the table, and realized that he'd never felt as lonely as he did at that moment, knowing everyone else from the team would be smiling and laughing together at the breakfast table, probably not even missing him, _at least Ziva won't._ He thought to himself before digging in to his breakfast, hoping that food, if nothing else could console him.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva looked around the main cabin, unsure of what to make of Tony's absence. Part of her wanted some distance from him so she could regain her proper thoughts, but the other side was screaming for Tony to come and be the highlight of her day as he so often was.

She had never noticed how quiet the team was without Tony, it was almost like he was the glue that held them all together and made them the team they were, like he was the key element in her happiness.

She knew that this was simply all in her head because she loved him, but the team really was quiet without his teasing.

She shook her head to clear those thoughts from her mind, he didn't love her, and so she had to move on.

She quickly polished off her cereal and yogurt and headed out the doors with the rest of the team, minus Tony. She looked at her watch and realized that he had to meet them soon or he'd be late.

She looked up just in time to see Tony leaving his cabin and head slowly towards them. She could tell something was off by the way his shoulders were slumped, and even from this distance she could tell that his usual smile was missing.

A wave of concern started to overtake her body, but she went into Mossad mode, unwilling to let her concern herself with Tony any more than absolutely necessary. It was hard enough to know he didn't love her back, but even harder when she let herself drool over him, knowing all the while that she didn't have a chance.

She watched as he got closer and realized instantly that something was wrong, not only was his smile missing but so was the usual sparkle in his eye. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him, however much she wanted to and she noticed that the closer he got, the more slumped his shoulders became. Finally he was standing with them, and she couldn't help but notice the emptiness in his eyes, it scared her, but not as much as it did when he looked at her and she saw both anger and what she believed to be pain in his eyes.

It was then that she realized her earlier suspicions were right, he knew. He knew everything, but he wanted to ignore her feelings, so she would. She knew all this by looking in his eyes and realizing that he was both disappointed in and angry at her for ruining their friendship. Suddenly she couldn't control herself and she could feel her anger heat up too.

Anger at the world for putting her in these circumstances, angry at Tony, but mostly angry with herself for becoming so weak.

She looked away from him in disgust at herself and wasn't sure how she'd ever be able to look him in the eyes again.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony felt the stabbing pain begin to worsen as he noticed Ziva look away from him in disgust, _she can't even stand my presence,_ he told himself as he fought back against the rapidly growing lump in his throat.

He knew that the best thing for him would be to ignore her but he still couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was.

Even though she wasn't dressed up at all, Tony couldn't help but notice that she was much more beautiful than any other woman he'd ever met. She looked at him without emotion and he notices that she's gone into her 'Mossad Mode.'

He frowned at the way that she way too often had to hide her emotions and couldn't help but wonder what emotions she was hiding right now.

He realized that he was never going to know the answer to that question. He then realized he was staring and quickly averted his eyes. He decided right then and there what it was that he needed to do, _She doesn't care for me, so I have to move on and forget about these feelings for her._

He turned to look at Lisa who was standing in front of the group, trying to get everyone's attention. When everyone was looking at her, she began, "Okay, well I am sad to say that this is our last day with you guys here, you leave for home tomorrow, but no need to worry we will make the best of the time we have together." She smiled, "Right now, we are going to go rock climbing on our hundred-foot cliff. Here is your gear, so if you want to suit up I will meet you at the cliff in twenty minutes."

With that she left, leaving them to put on their equipment.

"Uh Boss…" McGee began, but was quickly cut off by Abby.

"Aw… Come on Timmy, you're not going to stay on the ground are you?" She did the best puppy dog face she could and after a moment of debating himself, McGee sighed, "Fine, I'll go."

Abby grinned and gave McGee a huge hug, "I knew you wouldn't let me down Timmy!"

McGee smiled nervously as he donned the harness he would have to wear.

Tony smirked at the look of anxiety on the younger agents' face, then put on his own harness.

Twenty minutes later, they were all ready at the cliff, Ziva and McGee already tied in. Tony would hold Ziva's rope and Gibbs would hold McGee's. Tony reluctantly grabbed Ziva's rope, when really he only wanted to keep as much distance as he could from her, even being close to her made him feel weak.

Lisa watched from the sidelines, talking to an ecstatic Abby who couldn't wait for her turn to go.

Ziva began climbing and Tony was amazed once again at her efficiency, she was halfway up to the top when his attention got diverted. McGee was only about three feet up in the air, but was already having a hard time with his fear of heights.

He was squeezing his eyes shut tightly and Tony couldn't help but chuckle, Abby once again used her persuasive power over him and McGee climbed up to nearly the top, then tugged on his rope signalling for Gibbs to let him down slowly.

Tony rolled his eyes and wondered why McGee couldn't go the little bit farther to the top, but figured that at least he made it that far. Tony shook his head at how silly McGee could be sometimes, by the time McGee was back on the ground, his face was red.

Tony was about to make a comment when he felt a tug on the rope he was holding. He realized that Ziva had been waiting for him to let her down for quite a while, and she looked a little angry at being forgotten.

Tony simply grinned and let her down, "Aw… Ziva what's wrong, you had to go on the easy part of the rocks?" He tempted her to react to his comment and grinned when she did.

"Okay Tony, just to prove to you that I can indeed climb well, pick any spot you want me to climb and I will,"

Tony grinned at the challenge, but he could feel her irritation rising so he quickly scanned the rocks and pointed to the spot where he thought it was the hardest. "There."

Ziva showed no reaction to his choice and simply walked to the spot where he pointed. He caught up to her and she began to climb, he noticed her stall when she got to a harder piece of the climb and teased her, "What's the matter our invincible ninja can't rockclimb? Here, I'll give you some advice…"

He was cut off however by a deadly look from Ziva and her voice yelling, "I do not need your help Tony."

Tony rolled his eyes at how stubborn she was, if she didn't need his help than he wouldn't give her any. "Fine Zee-vah. Try climbing this wall without my help then." With an approving nod from Ziva, he let go of her rope and said, "That includes without me holding your rope." He backed away and began to grin at the look on Ziva's face.

She looked like she was about to say something, then straightened her back and turned around, beginning to climb once again. Tony waited for her to ask for his help again, but she got to the top and still hadn't asked for any.

Tony realized that they were both being stupid, he should be holding her rope, but no one else was paying attention to them and Ziva was too stubborn to admit she needed him. He wanted, no needed to show her that she did need him, even if it was only to ensure her safety while rock climbing.

Tony grinned when he noticed the way that she was slowly making her way back down the wall, still too stubborn to ask for his help.

His grin disappeared however when he heard a shrieking Abby. He followed where she was pointing to see Ziva, falling from about twenty feet in the air, with no one to stop her fall.

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**So ya, please don't give up on this story, I will stop leaving you with such horrible endings soon, I promise. I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey! So I updated this one pretty fast, I was really motivated by all the reviews, so I wrote it in like, record time. :) Wow, you all inspired me sooo much, I was sooo happy when I saw the amount of reviews I got and I had this HUGE smile plastered on my face, so as a thank you, here you go! I hope you like it, please enjoy!  


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_Previously: _

_Tony realized that they were both being stupid, he should be holding her rope, but no one else was paying attention to them and Ziva was too stubborn to admit she needed him. He wanted, no needed to show her that she did need him, even if it was only to ensure her safety while rock climbing. _

_Tony grinned when he noticed the way that she was slowly making her way back down the wall, still too stubborn to ask for his help. _

_His grin disappeared however when he heard a shrieking Abby. He followed where she was pointing to see Ziva, falling from about twenty feet in the air, with no one to stop her fall.

* * *

  
_

Tony's heart was racing as he ran towards Ziva. She hit the ground with a thud and he couldn't stop the yell from escaping his mouth, "ZIVA!!!!"

He bent down to see if she was okay, she was glaring daggers at him but he didn't care, she was alive.

Everyone came running towards them to see if Ziva was okay, Gibbs immediately demanding, "What happened?!"

Ziva glared at Tony who gulped and began, "Well you see she said she didn't need my help and I was trying to show that she did need me…"

Tony's eyes were wide when Gibbs head-slapped him on the back of the head. "So ya let go of her rope and endangered her life?!"

Tony stuttered over his next words, "Well, it was to make a point…"

"I don't _care_ if you were trying to make a point DiNozzo, the point is _Ziva _got hurt because _you_ let go of her rope!"

Tony gulped, it was true and he knew it, it was all his fault. She could've died. His eyes widened at that possibility and he quickly shut the thought off, it was too painful to even think about.

"I'm sorry…" He began, but Gibbs cut him off, "Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness, now you better make sure that nothing like this EVER happens again. Got it DiNozzo?!" Tony simply nodded, knowing that he couldn't trust himself to open his mouth, afraid what words might come out. He hadn't meant for this to happen, it was the last thing he wanted to happen. He hated the idea of Ziva getting hurt, and when she actually did and it was his fault… Tony was lost in guilt, but was brought back to the present by yet another Gibbs-slap.

Gibbs now turned to Ziva, "You okay?"

She simply nodded and pushed herself up, but as soon as she tried to take a step she began to fall. Tony wasn't ready to let her get hurt again, however, and he caught her quickly. He couldn't help but notice how close her mouth was to his, but he shook the thought off, this wasn't the time, there might never be a time.

He slowly set her up-right and put her arm around his shoulder, then his arm around her waist to support her. He looked at Gibbs, waiting for instructions but Gibbs gave him yet-another head slap. "You messed up DiNozzo."

Tony nodded, knowing it was true. Gibbs was furious at him and he should be, _it's all my fault_ was the only thought Tony had as a wave of guilt washed over him.

Gibbs looked to Ziva, "What's hurt?" He asked in an unusually quiet tone.

Ziva simply shrugged and pulled away from Tony, even though she was enjoying his close proximity. "Noth—"

She was cut off however by Gibbs, "Ziva don't tell me you're okay, you just fell from twenty feet in the air and landed with a thud. You tried to stand up and fell which means you're _not_ okay. Now what's wrong?"

Ziva sighed, she had to tell him before he got any madder, "My ankle."

Gibbs nodded and asked, "Which one?" Ziva simply said, "Left."

Gibbs reached down and pulled up her left pant leg, revealing a rapidly swelling ankle. He turned to their host, "There any first aid stations here?" She nodded and said, "Yes, of course. Right this way."

Ziva tried to insist that she didn't need anything, she was fine but Gibbs quieted her with one deadly look. "Come on Ziva, Tony'll help you walk, he got you into this mess."

Tony sighed, he already felt guilty and Gibbs wasn't helping, _he's not wrong though either. _Tony reached out to Ziva, but she recoiled from his hand and tried to walk on her own. She made it only two steps before she fell. Tony reached down to help her up, but once again she recoiled from his aide. "I can do this myself Tony, like I said, I don't need your help."

Tony bit back a retort, she was right to be mad at him, he just was praying that she wasn't afraid he'd hurt her again. "Please Ziva it was an accident." He begged, but she simply shrugged, "There are no accidents Tony."

She took another step but was already on her way to the ground when Tony caught her, "Please Ziva?" She read the sincerity in his eyes, and, along with realizing she really couldn't make it on her own, Ziva accepted his help.

He once again grabbed her arm and put it over his shoulder before putting his arm around her waist for support.

They walked this way for a while, but weren't moving very fast so Tony simply picked her up and began carrying her. Ziva tried to protest, but Tony wouldn't listen. He simply continued to carry her. In any other situation he would've loved to hold her like this, but he was too busy beating himself up over her injury.

"Listen Ziva I'm sorry." He began, "I shouldn't have let go of your rope."

Ziva looked up at him and could see the sincerity in his eyes, but she still was torn up on the inside from the years of torture knowing him had put her through. She wasn't sure if she could forgive him just yet, if she said she forgave him, she wanted it to be for everything.

Tony couldn't help but note her silence after he apologized, he realized that he really messed up this time. _What else is knew?_ He thought to himself as he stared into her eyes, he'd pretty much been messing everything up since the moment he saw her. His biggest mistake ever was not being able make her love him.

"Ziva…"

"What Tony." She snapped, not sure why she was taking such a sharp tone, but she didn't soften it. She was too hurt to bother. She was too hurt from knowing that he didn't love her back.

"I… I'm just sorry, I really messed up." _I really messed everything up. _He didn't say the last part to her, afraid that she would read between the lines too easily. "Okay, here we are." He said when he realized that they had arrived at the nursing station. Everyone else was waiting for them inside.

Tony sat her down on the examining table. He watched as the nurse slowly peeled off Ziva's sock to get a better look at her ankle. Tony had to walk outside at the sight. Her ankle was badly swollen, possibly broken, and it was all his fault.

He tried to dull his guilt and tell himself there was nothing he could do, but he knew that was a lie, Ziva would be perfectly fine if he hadn't tried to prove his stupid point. He sat down on a near-by bench and buried his face in his hands, he just wanted her to need him. He wanted her to realize that he could be anything she wanted him to be, that they were meant to be together.

He looked up to see Abby walking towards him, "Tony…"

She didn't get any farther though as Tony cut her off, "It's my fault Abby. She wouldn't be hurt right now if I hadn't let go of that rope."

Abby looked at him and could tell that he was having a hard time with this, so she tried to comfort him, "Look, Tony, it wasn't your fault."

Tony stood up, "Don't say that! Don't lie to me! I know that it was my fault, so don't try and lie to me to make me feel better!" He sat down again and buried his face in his hands, "I messed up Abby."

She tried to comfort him, "Come on Tony, it was one simple mistake…"

Tony stood up again and began pacing in front of the bench. "It wasn't one simple mistake Abby, it's everything I've ever done to her. I… I was wrong to let go of her rope but I was only trying to show her that she needed me, I never expected this to happen, I should've been ready!"

He turned and looked her in the eye, "Tony…." Before she could respond though, McGee came outside and called for them to come.

Tony looked like a scolded puppy as he went inside, preparing himself for the worst news.

Gibbs was still frowning, but the nurse was smiling. Tony noticed that Ziva wasn't in the room. He immediately panicked, wondering just how bad he hurt her when the nurse spoke. "It's okay Agent…"

"DiNozzo." Was the only thing Tony could get past the lump in his throat.

"Okay, Agent DiNozzo. She'll be fine."

Tony sighed with relief, thankful that she would be okay. The nurse continued, "She fell pretty hard but she's a very tough young woman and the only thing hurt is her ankle. It looks much worse than it is and I am guessing that she may even be able to walk tomorrow—if she gets enough rest tonight."

Tony nodded, he didn't think he'd ever been more relieved than when he found out she was okay. He smiled and part of his carefree 'DiNozzo charm' was back.

Gibbs spoke up, "She's gonna stay here tonight, in the side room." It was only then that Tony noticed the door that led to the room he assumed she was in. He smiled, knowing she was okay, what Gibbs said next however, stopped him cold.

"She's sleeping, and since she can't walk for now, you're gonna do anything she wants you to until she can."

Tony felt his eyes grow wide, "I'm gonna be her servant?!!!"

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review if you did. :p Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey! So I updated this one pretty fast. Um... Okay well I just want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate both. I really enjoyed writing this story, but unfortunately exams are leaving me with little free time and so I have decided that I will end this story in the next chapter. So this is the second-last installment, I really hope that you enoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it. I want to thank you all for reviewing and even for simply reading this story, I am pretty proud of it, as it is my first fanfic. I am sorry to end it so abruptly, but I am already working on this at times when I should be studying. I hope you all enjoyed this, and I also just want to say that I will take a few days break after the next chapter to study, but after exams I have a really great idea for a high-school fanfic with our favourite characters. So, enjoy the second-last chapter!

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Tony's eyes grew wide, he was going to have to be Ziva's servant?

He groaned inwardly, Ziva would have _way_ too much fun with this. He was about to protest but one look at Gibbs' told him that was a bad idea.

Tony simply nodded and took a deep breathe before opening the door to Ziva's room. He closed it quietly behind him and turned around. He couldn't help but notice how peaceful Ziva looked when she was sleeping; Tony enjoyed seeing her with her guard down for once.

He walked across the room and sat down in a chair, making sure not to disturb her with any noise. He could hear the others talking in the next room, but they soon left, as did the nurse, leaving only him and Ziva in the building.

He watched as her chest rose and fell steadily, he noticed that she looked like the angel she truly was when she was sleeping. He just sat there, watching her until she sat up, fully awake.

She threw him a murderous glance, "I'm going to be on desk-duty for at least a week, you better watch your back when I can move properly again."

Tony gulped and nodded, fully understanding just how miserable she could make his life. He still sat there, watching her and she finally looked at him again. "Why are you here?"

Tony sighed, realizing Gibbs hadn't told her so he would have to, "I have to stay with you and take care of you until you are better." He noticed she was about to protest so he added, "Gibbs' orders."

Ziva sighed and rolled her eyes, "I do not need your help Tony, you can leave and tell Gibbs I made you go."

Tony's back straightened as he heard her say yet again that she didn't need him, he tried to make it sound like a joke but even he could feel the coldness in his voice when he said, "You _do_ need me to help you Ziva, and I'm not leaving."

Ziva rolled her eyes again returned his icy comment with her own, "I do _not_ need you Tony and I want you to leave me alone."

Tony couldn't control himself; he didn't bother to think about what he was saying when he said, "You _do_ need me Ziva why can't you just admit it? Just because you're Ziva doesn't mean that you don't need help! No one is saying that you aren't tough, you're the toughest person I know, but you still need me!"

Ziva glared daggers at him and spat out one last time, "I do not need your help, now I am telling you to leave before I make you."

Tony met her cold stare with his own and began, "I dare you to try, how are you going to kick me out without being able to stand?"

He would've kept talking but he was interrupted when Ziva tried to storm out of the room. She only made it a step away from the bed before she tried to put pressure on her injured foot and she fell to the ground.

Tony sighed, wondering if she'd ever learn. He walked over and picked her up, plopping her back on the bed, "Still think you don't need help?"

Ziva glared defiantly at him, but after realizing that he wasn't going to back down she flopped against her pillow and demanded, "Water."

Tony simply smirked, nodded and left to get what she wanted.

Ziva could be completely unbearable sometimes, why couldn't she just admit that she needed him?

That was all he wanted, he just wanted her to realize that she _did_ need him in her life.

She had no idea how much it hurt every time she said she didn't need him. He knew she had told him to get the water just to get rid of him, and that hurt too. It hurt to know that she didn't even want to be around him. He fetched her glass of water and made his way back to the room, only to notice she was gone.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva waited until Tony left to get her water before slipping out of bed and making her way out of the cabin. She scoffed at Tony for believing she couldn't really walk, she was hurt, but she was also determined and could deal with the pain.

Ziva just needed to get away from him for a while. She was trying to get over him and it didn't help when Tony constantly pointed out the fact that she needed him.

She wanted to go back to the cliff and prove that she could climb it without Tony's help. She knew it was a stupid idea, seeing as she fell even when she had _two_ good feet and now she only had one, but she needed to prove her independence more to herself than anyone else.

Ziva reached the cliff and slowly began climbing it, even when she was only a few feet in the air she knew she should turn back, but she refused to fail. She went a little higher, but her left foot gave way and she slid back down. She was now only two feet above the ground.

She swore under her breathe and began to climb higher when she felt a pair of hands lifting her away from the rock. She looked behind her to see an angry Tony.

"What on earth are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?!" He was yelling and Ziva could feel the anger flaring inside of her.

"NO! I can do this! Just let me go!"

Tony simply shook his head and threw her over his shoulder, forcibly taking her back to the nursing station. She knew Tony was strong, but Ziva hadn't realized Tony was _this_ strong. Every time she tried to she escape failed and she began to feel powerless, this however only fuelled her anger.

Tony sat her down on the bed and stared at her defiantly, "What were you thinking?!"

Ziva glared at him and answered in as calm of a tone as she could muster, "I was going to climb the cliff and prove that I do _not _need any help."

She noticed a hurt look in Tony's eyes as he threw his hands up in the air in surrender, "Fine. I get it. You don't need help and you definitely don't need me, okay? I'm sorry for letting go of your rope and letting you fall."

Ziva watched as Tony stalked away from her and practically threw himself down in his seat. Having him admit that she didn't need him didn't feel as good as she thought it would.

"Tony, I am sorry."

She saw his head shoot up and rolled her eyes, maybe apologizing wasn't such a good idea, he was never going to let her live this down now.

She was surprised however when instead of teasing her like she expected, Tony pulled his chair up next to her bed and said, "Zee, I just…"

He wanted to go on but couldn't get any more words out of his mouth. He mentally cursed himself for being such a coward. He'd meant to tell her just then, but once again he just couldn't find the courage to do so.

He swallowed and simply gave her a hug, wishing it would be a kiss instead.

"Just don't do anything stupid like that again."

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**This chapter turned out a little different than I had planned, but I just started to write and it kind of came out like this. Thank you SO much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!:) **


	21. Chapter 21

Title: The Week That Changed Everything

Chapter: 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of Josh and all other non-original charachters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey! So I didn't get to update yesterday, so I'm sorry you had to wait but I hope this is worth it. Like I said before, this is the last chapter, I had to end my story early because of exams, but I really appreciate the responses I have gotten to this story. As my first fanfic it has really inspired me and I do have quite a few ideas, my next story will most likely be a high school fanfic, so you can look for that one coming up! Thank you SO much for reading my story and submitting reviews, plus those favourite author and favourite story things _really_ made my day. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I want to dedicate this story to you, my readers! Thanks for reading, and I really would appreciate at least one more review so I can know how I did (overall) on my first fanfic! Again thanks for reading and enjoy!  


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Ziva hadn't expected Tony to hug her, but she returned the favour with a slight smile on her face.

Tony finally let her go and she felt the loss immediately, he pulled apart and there was an awkward silence between them.

She thought she saw something in his eyes, but decided to ignore if for now and sighed, "Tony, you have already seen that I can walk, so I believe that I no longer have to stay here, right?"

She asked, her eyes begging him to agree with her so she could relax in her own room. He smiled and nodded, "I've seen it, but the nurse'll have to double-check. I'll go get her if you promise not to go anywhere." He smiled at the look of frustration that crossed her face. "Ziva?"

Ziva simply rolled her eyes, "Fine Tony, I will stay here." She waited until he had left the room before she fell back against the pillows, a smile on her face. It was amazing how even one simple hug from Tony could make her weak. She couldn't remember being this happy since a very long time. She sighed as she thought about the hug again, wanting to relive the feeling of the moment.

Ziva rolled her eyes at how pathetic she was, but her smile stayed in place. She began to wonder what the look in his eyes afterwards was, and was confused. She'd never seen that look in Tony's eyes before, it seemed to be a combination of fear, anguish, and something else….

She laid down properly and tried to prop her foot up on a pillow near the end of her bed. The nurse arrived with Tony and the rest of the team close behind her.

She took a look at Ziva's ankle and smiled, "Well, the swelling has gone down a good amount and the redness is gone. How do you feel?"

Ziva smiled sweetly at the nurse, knowing she would choose whether Ziva had to stay resting or move around on her own, "It feels very good, thank you. I think I can walk on it now."

The nurse laughed at the eagerness in Ziva's voice, "Well, although I believe you may be trying to put on a good show so you can move around sooner, the ankle really does look good. It wasn't as bad as I originally thought; you might even be fully recovered by tomorrow when you leave for home."

She smiled sweetly at Ziva who was grinning ear to ear as she looked at Gibbs. "So I can go to my cabin now, yes?"

Ziva looked to the nurse for confirmation, and at her nod Ziva pushed herself off the bed. Her ankle hurt, but the pain was dying quite quickly and she smiled. "Let's go!"

Gibbs simply smirked at Ziva's eagerness to move around again, "Yeah, but it's getting late, I want you all back in your cabins in a half an hour so that you're up on time tomorrow."

Tony's face fell and he whined, "But Boss, you're treating us like children…"

Gibbs smirked at Tony's expense, "That's the point DiNozzo. Your whining just cost you ten minutes."

Tony rolled his eyes and received a head-slap from Gibbs, "Wanna make it twenty DiNozzo?"

Tony simply shut his mouth and shook his head, deciding it would be best to back off now. Gibbs smirked and walked away, "Twenty minutes and you're all in your cabins."

McGee looked at Abby and smiled, "Ready? Let's walk together."

Abby nodded enthusiastically and they left holding hands, Abby's laugh floating back behind them.

Tony rolled his eyes at their patheticness and smiled at Ziva, realizing that if he got the chance he'd be no better. "Ready?"

She looked up at him in surprise, "You do not have to wait Tony, I will take a little longer to walk."

Tony shrugged, "I don't want to walk alone out there."

Ziva smirked, "What is the matter Tony, you're not being a scary cat are you?"

Tony smirked and couldn't help himself from correcting, "Scaredie cat, Ziva, and no I'm not. I simply want someone to talk to so I can drown out Abby and McGee's patheticness."

Ziva rolled her eyes and nodded, realizing she really didn't want to be alone. "Fine."

Tony grinned, "See? I knew you couldn't resist a walk with me in the dark." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Ziva simply rolled her eyes.

"If that's what you think I can walk alone…" She began, but Tony cut her off.

"Awww… Come on Zee-vah. Can't you take a joke?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, "Let's go." Tony grinned and opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.

They slowly walked back to the cabins, side by side. Tony stopped walking and Ziva followed suit, wondering what was wrong. Tony grinned and said, "We have twenty minutes, let's take a detour."

Ziva simply nodded and followed him, soon walking beside him again. Tony led her only a short ways away from the cabins and towards the beach.

Ziva smiled noticing where they had come, "I do not care what you say, the look on your face when you thought I drowned was free."

Tony looked at her for a moment, then realized what she was trying to say, "You mean priceless. And, well I had a reason to. You nearly gave me a heart attack when you started to convulse like that." He said, remembering how close to tears he was before she sat up grinning mischievously.

Ziva looked at him and grinned, "And just why is it that _you_ were so scared when I was the one drowning?"

She raised an eyebrow making Tony realized his dumb mistake and quickly come up with an excuse. He couldn't tell her, not yet. "Yeah, well, you may have "died," but I was the one that Gibbs was gonna kill when he found out."

He smirked, trying to add a humorous effect to his statement, but he noticed the way that a ghost of a frown appeared on her lips before disappearing again. They continued to walk in silence, both secretly stealing glances at each other when they knew the other wasn't looking. Tony looked at her and his breath caught in his throat, she looked like an angel with the soft moonlight creating a halo on her head. She noticed that he had stopped walking and turned to look him in the eye.

He couldn't help but notice how close they were and how easy it would be for him to close the gap with a kiss. It took all of his self-control not to do so, but he knew that it was too risky. He needed to make sure she loved him back before he said anything, for now he could watch her and hope she made the first move. Ziva's earlier words drifted through his mind,

_You can wait your whole life waiting for them to make the first move…_

The whole world seemed to stop as Tony debated his options. He stared into her chocolate brown eyes and knew his decision. He'd been waiting for her to make the first move far too long, and he needed her to know how he felt. Looking around at the romantic setting that surrounded them he knew that only fate could've brought them here. He had to tell her now, yet he couldn't bring himself to do so.

He opened his mouth multiple times, trying to get the three simple words he'd been wanting to say for so long past his throat. Nothing would come out. Tony sighed in frustration, suddenly understanding how Ziva felt when the English language failed her.

Tony loved her and he knew he had to tell her now, yet since he couldn't say the words he chose the only other way he knew how.

Tony stared into her eyes and slowly closed the gap between them, his mouth covering hers. He groaned as all the years of tension between them melted into that one moment. He wrapped his arms around her middle and pushed her up towards him. Ziva wrapped her arms around Tony's neck and pulled him closer towards her, letting out a groan of pleasure only a few moments after he did.

Eventually Tony pulled away and stared deep into her eyes. "Ziva…" He whispered, his voice suddenly returning, "I love you. I've been waiting long enough and I can't take it any longer. I need you in my life because you _are_ my life. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and as much as I don't deserve you I can't live without you. So I'm begging you to make this the happiest day of my life and just tell me that you love me too."

Tony held his breath while he waited for Ziva to answer him, growing more and more nervous at every moment that passed without her response.

Ziva had never been happier than this moment and for a moment was speechless after Tony's confession, finally she found her voice back and answered, "I love you too Tony, more than you could ever imagine."

After hearing this, Tony kissed her again, knowing that he was the luckiest man on earth. Ziva loved him, and with her by his side he could do anything. When they broke apart again, Tony stared deep into her eyes, and realized he'd love her forever, and that no matter what happened, he'd never forget this week, for it was the week that changed their lives.

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Sorry if that last line was corny, but I couldn't resist. Well I hope that this chapter was worth the wait and thank you all for reading!


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